A family digs through the remains of their home in the town of Ba, after it was destroyed by severe tropical cyclone Winston, the only category five storm system to ever hit Fiji, on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Naziah Ali)
A category five tropical cyclone Winston hit Fiji on Saturday, killing at least five people and causing lots of damage to the country’s infrastructure.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the powerful cyclone packed wind gusts approaching 300 kilometres per hour.
Winston is the most powerful cyclone that was recorded to hit Fiji.
There are unconfirmed reports saying that thousands of homes had been destroyed and entire villages flattened but the authorities can only assess the damage after communications are re-established.
Here are some photos of the aftermath…
People are splashed by a wave whipped up by the encroaching cyclone Winston in Labasa, Fiji, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. The Pacific island nation of Fiji is hunkering down as a formidable cyclone with winds of 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour approaches. (Luke Rawalai/Fiji Times via AP) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, FIJI OUT
Buildings and trees are damaged after Cyclone Winston swept through the town of Ba on Fiji’s Viti Levu Island, February 21, 2016. REUTERS/Jay Dayal
A tree blocks a road after it was blown down by the encroaching cyclone Winston in Nakasi, Fiji, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. The Pacific island nation of Fiji is hunkering down as a formidable cyclone with winds of 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour approaches. (Jonacani Lalakobau/Fiji Times via AP) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, FIJI OUT
Toppled trees lie on a road in Tamavua, Suva, after the most powerful cyclone in Fiji’s history battered the Pacific island nation, on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/-)
Fiji began a massive clean-up on February 21, 2016, after the most powerful cyclone in its history battered the Pacific island nation, killing at least one person and leaving a trail of destruction (AFP Photo/UNICEF Pacific)
A family digs through the remains of their home in the town of Ba, after it was destroyed by severe tropical cyclone Winston, the only category five storm system to ever hit Fiji, on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Naziah Ali)