Hurricane Sandy leaves 11 dead in Cuba

Hurricane Sandy claimed 11 lives as it tore across Cuba on Thursday, leaving a path of destruction on the eastern end of the island, officials in Havana said. A statement by civil defense authorities said the deaths in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo occurred despite officials "having taken all the necessary preventive precautions." The deaths in Cuba were in addition to 10 more fatalities in the Caribbean -- nine in Haiti and one in Jamaica -- which brought the toll from the storm to 21 late Thursday. Several of the dead were killed in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the fury of the massive storm. Nine people died in Santiago, including a four-month old infant who was among four people who perished when a house caved in. Five more people in the province died during the storm for unspecified reasons. Officials said two people in Guantanamo were killed by falling trees.