Fiji Hit by Flash Floods as Thousands Flee Homes, Fijilive Says

Two people were killed and more than 2,000 others fled their homes in Fiji after flash floods hit the South Pacific island following days of heavy rains, Fijilive reported, citing police.

Police found the body of a Fijian man after his vehicle was swept away by strong currents yesterday in Nadi, the site of the nation’s international airport, the online newspaper reported on its website. Another male body was retrieved from a river, it said.

Fiji issued alerts for severe floods at major rivers, streams and low-lying areas in the western division as heavy rains and thunderstorms are forecast to continue, according to a statement on the Fiji Meteorological Service website. A tropical storm was located southwest of Nadi at 9 a.m. today and is expected to gradually move away from Fiji, it said.

Fiji is a 332-island archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean, 3,240 kilometers (2,013 miles) northeast of Australia. The cyclone season in the region runs from November to April and storms sometimes cause flooding and landslides.

To contact the reporter on this story: Soraya Permatasari in Melbourne at soraya@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Tighe at ptighe@bloomberg.net