Cyclone toll rises to 20 as tourists leave, aid pours in

Tourists began fleeing cyclone-ravaged Fiji on Monday and aid efforts intensified as the death toll climbed to 20, with officials warning it could rise further as reports trickle in from devastated remote communities.

Aerial photographs revealed entire villages were flattened when severe tropical cyclone Winston struck overnight on Saturday, lashing the Pacific island nation with gusts of 325 kilometres per hour.

"The images emerging from early aerial assessments of affected areas are truly heartbreaking, leaving little doubt about the ferocity of this cyclone," said the UN's Fiji coordinator Osnat Lubrani.