A fast-strengthening Hurricane Omar was crossing the northern Leeward Islands early Thursday as a major Category 3 storm, AP reported. A day earlier, the hurricane sank boats in a St. Croix harbor, knocked down trees and trapped people in their homes before spinning toward other tiny islands. The storm's top winds increased Thursday to 125 mph (205 kph) on a path that forecasters said would likely bring it past the U.S. and British Virgin Islands on one side and territories including Anguilla on the other, potentially missing a direct hit on any Caribbean island.
