Women hug as people line up to board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that will take them to the U.S. mainland, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 28, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Thousands of people lined up at San Juan harbour on Thursday to board a cruise ship that will take them from Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland in one of the largest evacuations since Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico more than a week ago.
Maria, which came ashore as the strongest storm to hit the island in nearly 90 years, has created a humanitarian crisis. The powerful storm knocked out the nation's electric grid and has crippled communications networks, transport and the water supply for the territory's 3.4 million people.
