Fiji imposes curfew, braces for major cyclone

Fiji imposed a nationwide curfew on Thursday after urging people near the coast to move to higher ground as the island nation prepared for a major cyclone to hit.

Cyclone Yasa was expected to hit the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu later Thursday or early Friday.

Authorities imposed an overnight curfew and declared a state of natural disaster.

"Families and communities are urged to prepare emergency kits and put into practice your family, community disaster and preparedness plan," said Vasiti Soko, Fijian Director for National Disaster Management Office, at a news conference on Thursday.

The National Disaster Management Office warned the cyclone could bring storm surges of up to 16 meters (52 feet) in some places and sustained winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), with gusts hitting 350 kph (217 mph).

In the capital Suva, many residents were experiencing power cuts.

Many have memories of Cyclone Winston, which hit in 2016 and killed more than 40 people.

Located about one-third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii, Fiji has a population of about 930,000.