Cyclone Winston

This was confirmed exclusively to FBC News by the Divisional Planning Officer West, Sitiveni Tavaga.

Seven of the deceased are from Ra; one from Nadi and a 48-year-old from Lautoka.

Two of the seven people who lost their lives in Ra drowned during storm surges at the height of TC Winston – one of them was 97-years-old.

The chairman of the Ba Mission Hospital has confirmed two people died in the town, and two others are in a serious but stable condition.

Fiji media have reported that Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has announced the new death toll.

The category five cyclone has been described as the strongest storm ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.

Homes have been destroyed, power lines are down and trees are blocking roads in many areas after tropical Cyclone Winston swept through the islands with wind gusts of up to 325kmh.

One person is reported so far to have died in the storm - an elderly man who was hit by flying debris - while hundreds have fled to evacuation centres. A curfew remains in force as the authorities go about assessing the damage.

'There's not one house that has not been damaged'

Disaster officials told a local broadcaster that an elderly man on Koro Island died after a roof fell on him.

Two hundred millimetres of rain was due to fall in some areas which could have triggered landslides. Flood warnings were issued for low-lying areas, with tidal surges possible.

Cyclone Winston ravaged the country overnight, but was now slowly moving away and leaving the country to assess the damage as daylight breaks.

The country had spent much of Saturday in lockdown, with transport cancelled and nationwide curfew and state of emergency declared by the government.

Already there are initial reports of severe damage across the country, with reports of houses being flattened and heavy swells washing away sea walls.

Unconfirmed reports suggest one person died when they were struck by falling debris on Koro island, according to local media, but a police spokesperson was unable to confirm reports.

Tropical Cyclone Winston has begun its assault on Fiji. It is being described as one of the most powerful in recorded history - a Category 5 cyclone with winds approaching 300 kilometres an hour. As a nation, we are facing an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We must stick together as a people and look after each other. Be alert and be prepared.

Right now, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is being briefed on the situation and Fiji’s preparedness and shelter for its citizens.

Passing Vava'u earlier in the week as a Category Two storm that damaged crops and caused power outages, Cyclone Winston has made an about-turn and is now a Category Four cyclone with the potential to cause serious damage.

Caritas in Tonga has trained volunteers (including on Vava'u) who previously responded to the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Ian in 2014, and is moving crucial supplies to the areas that are likely to be most affected.

"The whole thing is not over yet but at this point in time it is a little more comforting to say that it went further north than Vava'u, so I mean it is drifting west, directly west, so it's giving a bit of space between that and Vava'u at the moment. There is still some damages reported.