SYDNEY — A powerful tropical cyclone made landfall on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Monday, witnesses said, levelling buildings in a country already in a state of emergency due to concerns about the coronavirus. Cyclone Harold approached Sanma province, an island north of the capital Port Vila, with winds of up to 215 km (133 miles) per hour about 1 pm local time (0200 GMT), as the country of 276,000 people bunkered down. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The cyclone was upgraded to a Category 5 as it approached, the highest category. "There is lots of damage in Sanma, they lost lots of buildings," said Jacqueline de Gaillande, CEO of Vanuatu Red Cross, by telephone from the capital Port Vila where the cyclone was expected to hit overnight.

Source: International New York Times April 06, 2020 06:33 UTC