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World / Americas

Fiji cyclone death toll climbs to 29: official

Published: 23 Feb 2016 - 12:00 am | Last Updated: 09 Nov 2021 - 05:20 am

A family digs through the remains of their home in the town of Ba, after it was destroyed by severe tropical cyclone Winston, the only category five storm system to ever hit Fiji, on February 21, 2016. AFP, Naziah Ali

 

Suva, Fiji: The death toll from the Fiji super-cyclone hit 29 on Tuesday and could rise further as relief teams reach remote communities devastated in the storm, officials said.

"The official death toll now is 29, another eight bodies were found on the island of Koro since yesterday," government spokesman Ewan Perrin told Radio New Zealand in a phone interview.

"We are expecting it to rise but we're hoping it's going to rise by a very small number."

Severe tropical cyclone Winston, the first category five storm in Fiji, lashed the Pacific nation overnight Saturday, packing wind gusts of 325 kilometres (202 miles) per hour and leaving a trail of destruction.

AFP