Suva, Dec 18 (IANS): Two people have died in Fiji after the category 5 tropical cyclone Yasa hit the island nation, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama confirmed on Friday, adding the number of fatalities was expected to increase.
The victims are a three-month-old infant in the western part of the nation and a 45-year-old farmer near Labasa, capital of Fiji's second largest island of Vanua Levu, reports Xinhua news agency.
According to the National Disaster Management Office, Yasa has caused extensive damages to Fiji, especially in the northern island of Vanua Levu.
According to local media reports, in Vanua Levu, houses were fully destroyed with roofs being blown away, schools were damaged, power lines fell on roads, trees were also uprooted due to the cyclone.
In Viti Levu, Fiji's main island where the capital city of Suva is located, an unplanned power outage occurred on Thursday but some areas are still without power on Friday.
Meanwhile a tropical cyclone Yasa curfew will be imposed in Vanua Levu starting at 5 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. on Saturday.
For other parts of Fiji, the curfew will kick in from 8 p.m. on Friday until 5 a.m. on Saturday.
Fiji's Acting Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has requested residents to take heed of the advisories and necessary safety precautions to avoid loss of life.
On Thursday, Fiji declared a 30-day state of natural disaster.
The Fiji Metrological Service said on Yasa downgraded to a category 3 system on Friday and continues to weaken.
Close to its centre, the cyclone is expected to have average winds up to 120 km per hour with momentary gusts to 170 km per hour.
Currently, tropical cyclone Yasa is moving southeast at about 18 km per hour and is expected to exit Fiji on Friday midnight or Saturday morning, but the southeastern parts of the nation will still be affected by the cyclone before its exit.
The tropical cyclone season in the South Pacific region runs between November and April every year and Fiji is expected to experience up to three tropical cyclones during the 2020/2021 cyclone season.
In 2016, Fiji was battered by tropical cyclone Winson, which killed 44 people and caused extensive damage to the nation.