Fiji cyclone death toll climbs to 29: official

The death toll from the Fiji super-cyclone hit 29 on Tuesday and could rise further as relief teams reach remote communities devastated in the storm, officials said.

"The official death toll now is 29, another eight bodies were found on the island of Koro since yesterday," government spokesman Ewan Perrin told Radio New Zealand in a phone interview.

"We are expecting it to rise but we're hoping it's going to rise by a very small number."

Severe tropical cyclone Winston, the first category five storm in Fiji, lashed the Pacific nation overnight Saturday, packing wind gusts of 325 kilometres (202 miles) per hour and leaving a trail of destruction.