AMN /
India has extended one million dollars as immediate assistance to Fiji, which was hit by a severe cyclone . External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said this in twitter.
The island nation was hit by the cyclone Winston which brought with it wind gusts of 325 kilometres per hour and waves up to 12 metres high, flattening crops and decimating villages completely.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the super-cyclone has reached 29. People are sheltering in evacuation centres. There’s considerable damage across the main island Viti Levu and the island of Koro, which were directly hit by strong winds.
As aid efforts intensified, communications were established with some of the worst-hit remote communities, revealing the scale of the disaster. Officials say the Pacific nation’s recovery from the devastating storm could take months.
Power is gradually being restored in the main centres and roads cleared of felled trees. The international airport at Nadi also reopened yesterday, allowing international tourists caught up in the disaster to return home.