Fiji cyclone death toll rises

The true extent of the damage is not clear

By Phil Mercer BBC, Sydney

Eleven people are confirmed dead after a powerful cyclone swept across Fiji earlier this week.

More than a dozen people are still missing in the wake of the most powerful storm to hit the country since 1987.

Winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph) tore down houses, ripped up plantations and sent giant waves crashing into low-lying islands.

The bodies of nine members of one family were recovered from a swollen river near the town of Labasa on the northern island of Vanua Levu, disaster management officials said.

A two-year-old girl was killed when her mother slipped and dropped her as she ran for cover during the storm, while a villager on Lakeba Island drowned after being swamped by a huge wave.

As many as 17 other people have been reported missing.

Looting reported

Relief workers have said the true extent of the devastation caused by Cyclone Ami is still not clear, more than four days after the storm ripped through Fiji's northern and eastern provinces.

There has been no communication with some outlying islands.

The Red Cross has helped more than 20,000 people left without electricity, food and water supplies. Many roads are still blocked by trees and debris, while some sections were washed away during the flooding.

The New Zealand Government has donated US$10,000 to an emergency relief appeal, while Australia, Britain and France have also promised financial help.

Newspapers in Fiji have claimed there was widespread looting in the towns of Labasa and Savusavu after they were hit by the cyclone.

The Daily Post said gangs broke into two banks at the height of the floods, and that shelves at a major supermarket were stripped bare within two hours.

A series of earthquakes measuring up to 4.7 on the Richter scale has been felt in the western part of Fiji. There are no reports so far of any damage.