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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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