Vanuatu appeals for aid after devastating cyclone

REUTERS

Vanuatu’s president made an emotional appeal for international assistance after his island nation was hit by a calamity of a cyclone, wreaking devastation in what is feared to be one of the region’s worst weather disasters.

 

Though the full extent of the damage is unknown, the UN had unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in just one province while aid agencies described scenes of destroyed homes, uprooted trees and blocked roads as a result of Super Cyclone Pam, a maximum category five storm.

The official death toll was eight in the capital on Saturday night, a Save the Children spokeswoman said, citing the country’s Disaster Management Office, with fears that dozens may be dead after the storm brought gusts of up to 320 kilometres (200 miles) an hour.