The death toll in Haiti as a result of Hurricane Matthew – the most powerful Caribbean storm in a decade – has soared to more than 300. Officials say, some 50 people were reportedly killed in the town of Roche-a-Bateau alone. <br/><br/>The nearby city of Jeremie saw 80 per cent of its buildings levelled. In Sud province 30,000 homes were destroyed. Category Three Matthew, with sustained winds of 193 km per hour is heading up the coastline of the US state of Florida. <br/><br/>Senator Herve Fourcand from southern Haiti told AFP news agency that more than 300 people had died. Reuters news agency put the death toll at 478, quoting Haitian officials, but this has not been independently confirmed.<br/><br/>Most of the deaths in Haiti were in towns and fishing villages around the southern coast, with many killed by falling trees, flying debris and swollen rivers.