“Super-cyclone" batters Pacific islands

Tourists have reportedly been rushing to evacuate the New Zealand-administered Cook Islands, in the south Pacific, as winds approaching 275kmh batter the region. According to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, Cyclone Meena was due to pass over the main island Raratonga this morning; 300 tourists have already been evacuated from the northern atoll of Aitutaki amid fierce winds and huge seas. Air New Zealand had reportedly laid on an extra flight but it was cancelled last night because the weather was too bad. One local forecaster is quoted as saying that the forecast was “about as bad as you could get”, adding that conditions on land would be destructive and that the winds would whip up “phenomenal seas”. Beachfront units at resorts around Raratonga have been evacuated, the New Zealand Herald reports, with protective mesh being put up to protect buildings. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd