Fiji Scrambles to Restore Power as Ferocious Cyclone Kills 6

Fijians were finally able to venture outside Monday after authorities lifted a curfew but much of the country remained without electricity in the wake of a ferocious cyclone that left at least six people dead and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Road workers remove a fallen tree blocking a road near Lami, Fiji, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, after cyclone Winston ripped through the country. Jonacani Lalakobau/Fiji Times via AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Fijians were finally able to venture outside Monday after authorities lifted a curfew but much of the country remained without electricity in the wake of a ferocious cyclone that left at least six people dead and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Officials were scrambling to restore services and assess damage in remote parts of the Pacific Island chain.

Winds from Cyclone Winston, which tore through Fiji over the weekend, reached 177 miles (285 kilometers) per hour, making it the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere since record-keeping began, according to the Weather Underground website.

People are splashed by a wave whipped up by the encroaching cyclone Winston in Labasa, Fiji, on Feb. 20, 2016.Luke Rawalai/Fiji Times via AP