Pacific

Fiji cyclone victims cram into few houses left standing

19:23 pm on 22 March 2010

A man on one of Fiji's cyclone-hit islands says people in one its villages are crammed into the few houses that remain standing.

Waqa Iliesa from the island of Totoya in the Lau Group, says his village of Ketei, was lucky not to lose houses.

But he says the nearby village of Udu was not so fortunate.

"And one of the villages, about 10 houses were blown away, and about four concrete houses left they have to occupy more than a hundred people."

Waqa Iliesa says the government may be bringing tarpaulin to help people in the village.

He says all the crops on the island of Totoya are destroyed, including the coconut trees which are its only source of income.

He says people are running out of food, but a government relief vessel has brought some rations to the island and more is promised.