Havana - Cuba on Sunday had evacuated 250,000 people ahead of Hurricane Ike, a monster storm carrying 215-kilometre-per-hour winds toward the Caribbean island's eastern regions, local media reported.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, said the storm was about 155 kilometres east-north-east of Guantanamo Cuba, where the US maintains its military prison for terrorist suspects.

Ike was an "extremely dangerous" category 4 storm expected to hit eastern and central Cuba Sunday evening and central Cuba by late Monday, weather experts said.

Category 4 is the next to most dangerous on the five-part Saffir- Simpson scale.

After weakening over Cuba, Ike was expected to head to Florida, where evacuations have already started.

Cuba is still recovering from Hurricane Gustav eight days ago that made 100,000 people homeless and prompted the Cuban government on Saturday to ask the US government to suspend its decades-old embargo on exports of desperately needed material for recovery and protection of human life.

High alarm was sounded for the following areas in Cuba: Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, Las Tunas, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus and Cienfuegos y Matanzas. (dpa)