Fiji has embarked on a massive clean-up operation after what is described as the worst cyclone ever to hit the South Pacific island nation.

Local authorities have said at least 20 people were killed by Cyclone Winston, and the total is expected to rise.

The storm struck late on Saturday with winds of up to 325 kilometres an hour, flooding low-lying areas, flattening remote villages and cutting off communications.

Aid agencies assessing the extent of the damage warned of a widespread health crisis, particularly in low-lying areas of the country where thousands of the country’s 900,000 people live in tin shacks, after crops were wiped out and fresh water supplies blocked.

“In this type of emergency, it really is a race against time to get immediate relief to those who have lost everything and ensure families can stay safe and healthy,” said Anna Cowley, an adviser for CARE Australia in Fiji.

“Race against time to get relief to those who lost everything” CARE’s Anna Cowley on #