Cyclone-hit Fiji will receive one million dollars as immediate assistance from the Indian Government. This was announced by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup. Fiji has been struck by “Cyclone Winston” which brought with it wind gusts of 325 kilometres per hour and sea and ocean waves up to 12 metres high. The area’s crops and several villages have been flattened completely by the natural calamity. So far, 29 people have reportedly died and many others have been shifted to evacuation centres.

Considerable damage is being reported from the main Fijian islands of Viti Levu and Koro after they were hit by strong winds directly. As aid efforts intensified, communications were established with some of the worst-hit remote communities, revealing the scale of the disaster.

Fiji

• Fiji is an island country in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean.
• Fiji is an archipelago of more than 330 islands, of which 110 are permanently inhabited.
• The capital and largest city, Suva, is on Viti Levu.
• Fiji has one of the most developed economies in the Pacific due to an abundance of forest, mineral, and fish resources.
• The country’s currency is the Fijian dollar.
• The majority of Fiji’s islands were formed through volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago.