Fiji Cyclone Kills 6, Electricity Cut

By Dan Keane
13:01, January 29th 2008
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Fiji Cyclone Kills 6, Electricity Cut

A tropical cyclone with winds gusting up to 140 km per hour hit Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu on Monday, killing six people, blowing the roofs of hundreds of houses and cutting power lines, officials said.

Hundreds of people were moved to government shelters and schools as they fled damaged houses and flooding caused by the heavy rain, the Associated Press reported.

Two linesmen were killed when they were hit by falling high-capacity power lines near the western town of Lautoka, the Fiji Electricity Authority said in a statement.

Tropical Cyclone Gene cut power to the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu as it toppled electricity supply lines, the electricity authority said. Power had been restored to much of Fiji, except for suburban areas of Suva by Tuesday, it said.

One person drowned in a swollen creek in Suva, another died when a candle used during the power outage set fire to a house, and a woman died of injuries sustained during the storm, Devida said. Another victim was killed while fishing off Viti Levu, said police spokesperson, Cpl. Suliano Devida, according to the AP.

Forecaster Robin Alipati said that in the following 24 hours, heavy rains were expected to cause flooding in Viti Levu and in island groups off the Coast. The cyclone was moving slowly westward on Tuesday away from Fiji toward Vanuatu, where cyclones alert had been already issued.



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