- Tonga is cleaning up after a category 4 cyclone tore through the island nation late Monday.
- Roofs were torn off buildings and Parliament was flattened.
- The full extent of damage is still being assessed.
- The cyclone was heading towards Fiji’s southern islands on Tuesday.
Tonga is cleaning up after a category 4 cyclone tore through the archipelago late Monday.
Cyclone Gita had winds of up to reported Reuters.
Roofs were torn off buildings and floods and downed power lines were observed.
“The full extent of damage caused by Cyclone Gita is still being assessed but there is an immediate need for assistance on the ground,” New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
Peters added that about 5,700 people sought shelter in evacuation centers on Monday night, and the number will likely increase on Tuesday.
Tonga isPolynesian
There were no reports of deaths, but several people were injured,
Tonga's Parliament House ha... @ Merana Kitione
Officials said up to 40 percent of homes on the main island were damaged, the ABC reported.