Dozens of people have gathered in southern Haiti to bid farewell to those killed by Hurricane Melissa.

The Category 5 hurricane was among the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded.

It killed at least 43 people in Haiti, and more than a dozen others remain missing.

Most of the deaths occurred in Petit-Goave, where the community mourned its own on Saturday.

Sadness mingled with guilt as survivors wept for those who did not make it.

Many residents were asleep when the La Digue River began rising after midnight.

By the time people in the southern coastal town realized what was happening, it was too late.

The river burst its banks, sweeping away homes, children, and cars as the storm’s outer bands lashed the region.

Eighteen caskets, topped with bright yellow and orange flowers, were carried into a public plaza where a crowd gathered to say their goodbyes.

Many of the coffins were small; Petit-Goave lost at least 10 children.

Petit-Goave, once a farming community with a bustling commercial center, saw 90% of its fields washed away, according to Wanja Kaaria, the World Food Program’s director for Haiti..

AP Video by Odelyn Joseph