State of emergency declared in cyclone-struck Vanuatu

The cyclone-hit island nation of Vanuatu declared a state of emergency on Sunday after at least eight people were confirmed killed by Tropical Cyclone Pam, local press reported.

Locals walk past debris after Tropical Cyclone Pam wreaked havoc in Port Vila, Vanuatu, March 15, 2015. The cyclone-hit island nation of Vanuatu declared a state of emergency on Sunday after at least eight people were confirmed killed by Tropical Cyclone Pam, local press reported. [Luo Xiangfeng/Xinhua]

Earlier in the day, Aurelia Balpe, Fiji-based head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Pacific, told Xinhua that at least eight people in Vanuatu were confirmed killed by Tropical Cyclone Pam, citing field reports from the Vanuatu Red Cross and local authorities, which said the death toll is likely to rise.

After Tropical Cyclone Pam passed Port Vila on Saturday, Vanuatu's capital where some 40,000 people live, downed power lines, uprooted trees and blown roofs were scattered on the streets.

There are reports on dozens of deaths in Vanuatu's Penama Province, where the cyclone made its landfall and whole villages are reportedly to have been blown away, but the country's National Disaster Management Office could not immediately confirm those reports as communication with northern provinces remained down.

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has sent a message to his Vanuatu counterpart Joe Natuman, sending Fiji's sympathy "in the greatest solidarity and friendship".