In Fiji, 18 dead from 'monster' Cyclone Winston

• News & Highlights

Death roll rises to 18 as emergency supplies are deployed to communities worst-hit by strongest storm ever recorded in the region.

The death toll from a ferocious cyclone which tore through Fiji over the weekend has risen to 18 as authorities began to get a grasp on the scale of the disaster and deploy aid to hard-hit outer islands.

Authorities were still having trouble communicating with some areas, including places like Koro Island, which suffered some of the worst damage. More than 6,000 residents across Fiji were staying in emergency shelters after their homes were destroyed or swamped by tidal surges.


Cyclone Winston: at least 10 dead as Fiji begins clean-up after massive storm
Read more
Winds from Cyclone Winston, which tore through Fiji over the weekend, reached 177mph (285kph), making it the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere since record-keeping began, according to the Weather Underground website.

Getting emergency supplies to the group’s far-flung islands and remote communities was the government’s top priority said Ewan Perrin, Fiji’s permanent secretary for communications. Home to 900,000 people, Fiji has more than 100 inhabited islands.

“The logistics of getting supplies and equipment to remote communities is difficult,” he said. “Some have lost their jetties and it’s uncertain if airstrips are able to be landed on.”

Perrin said authorities were sending a ship to Koro Island filled with medical supplies, food and water. He said crews on the boat would build temporary shelters for those people on the island whose homes had been destroyed.