Fiji: Cyclone kills 2, damages properties, roads

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - The Fiji government on Friday said at least two people were killed due to a heavy cyclone in the deep Pacific nation.

“I can confirm [deaths] from the Western Division and one is from the Northern Division,” said Vasiti Soko, the director of Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office.

However, she said, the circumstances of the fatalities are yet to be found, daily Fiji Times reported.

Fiji on Thursday imposed a night-long curfew as the Cyclone Yasa was about to make landfall on the archipelago nation in the southern Pacific.

Soko said the cyclone “cost hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.”

Fiji, with a population of less than 1 million, is an archipelago of over 300 islands in the deep Pacific.

The government has also declared a state of natural disaster for a period of 30 days since Wednesday.

Rains caused landslides and people were asked to stay indoors and move to higher ground for safety.

Soko’s office has allowed vendors and road side markets to resume business from Saturday.

But the cyclone has damaged over 100 roads.

The Fiji Roads Authority said 24 roads have been closed in the Central Division, 17 roads in the Eastern Division, 18 in the Western Division, and 42 roads in the Northern Division due to damages caused by the cyclone.