Suspected looters have been detained as Hurricane Matthew skirts Jamaica, bringing heavy rains and flooding.

The two arrests were made as residents in flood-prone areas near Kingston, the capital, refused to leave in the face of the most powerful cyclone to form over the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007.

LIVE on #Periscope: NHC Director Dr. Rick Knabb https://t.co/BxOBJlo6i4 — Natl Hurricane Ctr (@NWSNHC) October 3, 2016

Two buses sent to evacuate people in Port Royal returned with just two adults and two children after residents vowed to stay behind to protect their homes.

Forecasters believe Jamaica will miss the worst of Matthew, but it is expected to churn across southwest Haiti later, bringing winds of up to 150mph as it heads towards Cuba.

After reaching Cuba on Tuesday afternoon it is expected to veer west, heading for the Bahamas and possibly Florida.


Image: Military family members are evacuated from Guantanamo Bay

The approaching storm left one person dead on Friday after a boat with three fishermen overturned off the coast of southern Haiti.

Another boat was broken up by rough seas off the same coast on Sunday. Three people were rescued but the fourth is still missing.

The US National Hurricane Center has forecast storm surges of up to three metres (around 10ft) off Haiti's southern coast and the country's interior ministry has activated an evacuation plan for residents on small, exposed sandy islands in the south.

Meanwhile, the US is evacuating some 700 family members of soldiers at its base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

A US spokesman said: "The remaining military and civilian personnel will shelter in place and be able to support recovery efforts once safe to do so following the storm's passage."

Meteorologists predict Matthew could pose a threat to the United States by the end of the week.