International aid pours in to devastated Fiji as death toll from Cyclone Winston rises to 42
In addition to the mounting death toll, Care Australia said the number of people left homeless had ballooned to 34,000, up from 8,500 two days ago, and was also inexorably rising.
The death toll from super-cyclone Winston jumped to 42 on Wednesday as concerns grew for remote Fijian villages still waiting for help after the most powerful storm in the Pacific nation’s history.
While international aid efforts are intensifying, with New Zealand saying it will send two navy ships, relief teams are yet to reach some isolated communities devastated in the weekend tempest.
“42 Fijians now confirmed dead – disaster officials continue to deploy teams to help those affected across Fiji,” government spokesman Dan Gavidi tweeted, raising the toll from 29 given on Tuesday.
The Red Cross said the body count was likely to rise further as word filtered back from far-flung corners of the island nation.
The numbers will continue to change as we have better access to information and establish communication
“The numbers will continue to change as we have better access to information and establish communications,” the acting head of the Red Cross’s Pacific office Ahmad Sami said.