KINGSTON, Jamaica — Terrifying footage has emerged showing the moment Hurricane Irma ripped through Princess Juliana International Airport in St Martin, destroying safety fences and battering the nearby Maho beach.

Sand was flung onto the runway and huge rocks smashed into planes as the storm swept over the tiny Caribbean island today.

The full devastation was revealed after the 185mph storm passed, with photos showing a flooded check-in lounge and walkways completely destroyed.

Huge chunks of the building had also been strewn across the runway and a jet bridge snapped in half.

Hurricane Irma slammed into the French-Dutch island early this morning leaving a trail of devastation as homes, hotels and government buildings were reduced to rubble.

St Martin is a French territory and shares an island with Sint Maarten, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The island is east of Puerto Rico.

Mass evacuations immediately got underway as aid agencies braced themselves for a “major humanitarian response”.

So far, there has been no reported loss of life.

Holidaymakers have barricaded themselves into hotels and villas as powerful winds continue to batter the already shattered island.