Cyclone Winston kills at least five in Fiji, death toll expected to rise

Vavau felt the full effect of Cyclone Winston

A powerful cyclone has claimed at least five lives in Fiji. This is the most powerful cyclone to have hit the pacific nation.

The effect of the cyclone has affected the ability of officials to access affected areas as communications and road access to the hardest-hit areas are currently almost non-existent. Therefore, the full extent of the damage and injuries cannot be ascertained. 

The government has responded by declaring a 30-day state of natural disaster, extension of the curfew and the police have been empowered to make arrests without a warrant.

Cyclone Winston hit Fiji on Saturday with wind speeds estimated at up to 285km/h. It destroyed hundreds of homes and shredded crops. The worst-affected areas were along the northern coast of the main island, Viti Levu.

The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation have put the death toll at five. However, the Red Cross said there were unconfirmed reports of three more fatalities. 

An elderly man in the village of Nabasovi on Koro Island was killed after the roof of the house he was in collapsed. And there are genuine fears that area with sub-standard housing will not be able to withstand the effect of the storm.

Alice Clements from UNICEF Pacific was in the capital Suva when the cyclone hit.

"We certainly felt the impact of...Winston in Suva with destructive, howling winds and the sound of rivets lifting from roofs a constant throughout the night," she said.

"It is likely that smaller villages across Fiji will have suffered the most, given their infrastructures would be too weak to withstand the power of a category 5 cyclone."

Power, water and communication services are yet to be restored across this nation of almost 900,000.