"Three of the four bodies have been recovered," a recuse operation leader, Delfin Rodriguez, told reporters.

The National Emergency Committee declared the Dominican Republic's south coast on maximum alert.

Ivan, packing terrifying winds of 260 kilometers (160 miles) per hour, raged westward Thursday across the southern Caribbean toward Jamaica after leaving as many as 29 dead in Grenada, Tobago and Venezuela.

At 1800 GMT the center of the storm was about 360 miles (580 km) southeast of Kingston, the capital of densely populated Jamaica, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

"Ivan continues to be extremely dangerous heading for western Caribbean sea," the center said.