WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – A 10-month-old baby is among those missing and presumed dead Wednesday from the massive cyclone that hit Fiji after the boy’s parents told a local television station they lost hold of him amid ferocious winds and floodwaters that rose to their necks.
The death toll from Cyclone Winston has risen to 42. Another four people are listed as missing, including the infant on Koro Island, where at least 10 people have died.
The cyclone tore through the Pacific Island chain over the weekend with winds that reached 177 miles (285 kilometers) per hour, making it the strongest storm in Fiji’s recorded history.
The boy’s father Alifereti Samu told Fiji One Television that they ran from the coastal home where they were sheltering and were expecting the winds but not the huge seas.
“When the winds began to rise, we then ran for safety,” he said, adding they tried to keep their son above water.