Cyclone Winston Batters Down On Fiji

Strong winds and heavy rain batter Fiji as category five super-storm Cyclone Winston has hit the South Pacific island nation on Saturday and the government declares a nationwide curfew. Tropical cylone Winston, with average winds of 136 miles per hour and gusts of up to 315 kilometres per hour, was forecast to hit the main island Viti Levu overnight Saturday, according to the Fiji meteorological office. National Disaster Management director said 758 evacuation centres had been prepared in the nation of about 900,000. International flights have been cancelled to the holiday hotspot, a popular tourist destination. Winston has been moving around the South Pacific for a week, and has now hit Fiji. The UN humanitarian agency UNOCHA said it was ready to support the disaster management office if required. Cyclones are common in the South Pacific and their impact is difficult to predict.