Death toll from cyclone Winston reaches 29 in Fiji

The death toll from a tropical cyclone in the Pacific island country of Fiji has reached 29, as humanitarian aid starts arriving in the country.

“The official death toll now is 29, another eight bodies were found on the island of Koro since yesterday,” government spokesman Ewan Perrin said on Tuesday.

He added that authorities are expecting the toll to rise as they are trying to reach remote areas of the archipelago.

Thousands of people in the nation of 900,000 people live in tin or wooden shacks in low-lying areas.

The powerful storm, named Winston, has so far left thousands of people displaced, with more than 8,000 still staying in evacuation centers.

Many are thought to remain homeless for months to come as a result of the high level of destruction caused by the cyclone.