An extremely powerful cyclone blew over islands in the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago late Friday after a westward change of course put populated areas directly in the path of its destructive 168-mile-per-hour winds, according to relief workers.
Winds were beginning to subside Saturday, revealing widespread destruction. There were unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths. Communication systems in many of the hard-hit outer islands remained down.
Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer who is in Port Vila, said that the capital had no power or running water and that the streets are littered with roofs blown from homes, uprooted trees, and downed power lines. She said she heard reports of entire villages being destroyed. - AP