News reports from around the world covering Category Five Tropical Cyclone Pam

Dozens feared dead after cyclone hits Vanuatu VANUATU – A report from the BBC News Service says the death toll from a category five tropical storm that has hit islands in the South Pacific could run into the dozens, quoting the UN’s relief agency. Authorities had earlier issued a red alert to residents after the cyclone changed direction and began moving towards populated areas. It has already caused major damage on other Pacific islands, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands. Tuvalu, a group of nine tiny islands north-east of Vanuatu, has also declared a state of emergency after the cyclone caused flash floods there. “The immediate concern is for a very high death toll but also an enormous amount of destruction and devastation,” Sune Gudnitz, regional director for the UNOCHA, told Reuters news agency from nearby Fiji, which is also expecting to be hit by Pam. There were unconfirmed reports that 44 people had died in Penama province in the north-east of Vanuatu, the UN agency said in a statement on Friday, according to Reuters.

Cyclone Pam destroyed homes and flooded crop areas in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands before moving on to Vanuatu and Tuvalu. At least 3000 households were said to have been affected.

The Vanuatu Meteorological Services said it expected torrential rainfall, flash flooding, landslides and storm surges.

All six provinces are under red alert, meaning people are advised to immediately head to shelter.

Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office spokesperson Mishaen Garae Lulu told Radio New Zealand that the government had lost contact with some parts of the northern provinces.

Earlier on Friday, Alice Clements, an official with the UN children’s agency Unicef, told the BBC that the capital had become a ghost town as people took shelter.

“The winds have intensified and the skies have totally clouded over, you can’t see the sea or the hills now. Foliage is thrashing around and the wind and rain has been torrential,” she said.

“People are anxious –it’s been a very long time since Vanuatu has seen a cyclone this big.”

The Vanuatu country director for Save the Children, Tom Skirrow, told the AFP news agency that he was concerned about families living in shanty town areas.

“Thousands of families are living in makeshift, flimsy houses which will not withstand the immense winds and rain we’re expecting. Families need to urgently evacuate to safe buildings or the results could be catastrophic.”