Death toll from a powerful cyclone that struck the Pacific island state of Fiji last week has risen to four and is missing one
SUVA, Fiji – The death toll from a powerful cyclone that ravaged the Pacific island nation of Fiji last week has risen to four and one is missing, an official said Sunday.
While Cyclone Yasa spared the capital Suva and Nadi’s main tourist hub on Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu on Thursday, the full extent of the damage was still being assessed.
Vasiti Soko, director of Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office, told reporters that there were still 7,731 people in 183 evacuation centers across the country.
Soko said an Australian military C-17 transport was expected to arrive later Sunday with shelter packages.
Before the cyclone hit with gusts of wind of up to 345 kilometers (214 miles) per hour, authorities had set a night clock and declared a state of natural disaster.
Fiji is about a third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii and has a population of about 930,000.