The world famous airport on the holiday island of St Maarten has been destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

Winds of up to 300kmh hit the island as the Category 5 hurricane tore up through the Caribbean.

The proximity of the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport to Maho Beach is an attraction for tourists from around the world.

In July New Zealander Gayleen McEwan was killed after being knocked over by the blast from a jetliner.

The end of the airport runway is separated from Maho Beach by a two-lane road. Numerous pieces of footage on YouTube show people holding onto a chain link fence between the end of the runway and the road.

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123RF Maho Beach, St Maarten, where tourists get up close to jets.

Irma also dumped loads of sand from the beach onto the runway and blew down safety fences.

Dutch authorities are trying to gauge the extent of damage, but officials say it appears to be significant.

St Maarten is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and shares an island with the French territory of St. Martin. The island is east of Puerto Rico.

An amazing video of a plane performing an extremely low landing on the Caribbean Island of St Maarten.

Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk says the damage wreaked on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten by Category 5 Hurricane Irma is "enormous".

Dutch Caribbean coast guard spokesman Roderick Gouverneur says coast guard officials in Curacao have lost communication with their base in St Maarten.

Plasterk told reporters in The Hague on Wednesday that the damage caused by Irma's direct hit on the island "is so major that we don't yet have a full picture, also because contact is difficult at the moment."

123rf.com Thrill-seeking tourists hanging on the the fence and getting jet blasted at the airport in St. Maarten.

He says it remains unclear if Irma caused casualties.

About 100 troops are on the island helping local authorities assess damage and repair vital infrastructure in the storm's aftermath. Two navy ships are also steaming to the island to offer help.

- Stuff/agencies