Some 29 people have now been confirmed dead in Fiji as the Pacific nation begins the enormous task of rebuilding after the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Winston.
The official death toll rose to 29 early on Tuesday as information began filtering back from hard-hit remote areas that bore the brunt of the category-5 cyclone on Saturday - a storm believed to be the most powerful ever to hit Fiji.
Fiji government spokesman Ewan Perrin said the new toll comes after eight bodies were found on the island of Koro, which took a direct hit from the cyclone as it passed over the western side of the 300-island group.
"It has pretty much (been) flattened," he told Radio New Zealand on Tuesday.
"There are very few buildings left."
Another four people are believed to be missing at sea, although fatalities have not been confirmed.
Aid groups and government authorities are now racing to deal with a critical need for clean water, health supplies and emergency accommodation after power lines, roads, jetties and homes were destroyed and damaged across huge areas of Fiji's main islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu.
A 30-day state of emergency has been declared in Fiji and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has ordered emergency management officials to respond to the crisis as quickly as possible.
"There are Fijians out there who are without water, without a roof over their heads, without food and without essential services," Mr Bainimarama said.
Aid agencies fear there could be widespread outbreaks of disease among the estimated 8000 people sheltering in evacuation centres due to water contamination.
"It really is a race against time to get immediate relief to those who have lost everything and ensure families can stay safe and healthy," CARE Australia spokeswoman Sarah Boxall said.
Australia sends doctors and aircraft to Fiji
The Australian government has sent defence transport carrying personnel and equipment to Fiji to help with the humanitarian effort.
A C-17A Globemaster transport aircraft arrived overnight, complementing pre-positioned supplies already being distributed to people who've lost there homes.
Australia will also send a six-person medical evacuation team to help people in remote outer islands, where the scale of destruction left by Cyclone Winston is still to be fully determined.
Winston struck on Saturday night with winds gusting up to 325km/h and waves rising up to 12m high.
Supplied image obtained Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 of Air Force and Army working together to load a Multi Role Helicopter (MRH 90) onto a C-17 Globemaster as part of Operation Fiji Assist. Source: AAP
More than 60,000 people live in areas that were hit by destructive winds near the eye of the storm.
Another 400,000 people - out of a total population of around 900,000 - were in areas affected by strong winds and rain.
Meanwhile, Fiji's predicament has sparked an outpouring of support on Twitter, where #StrongerThanWinston, #WeAreOne and #lovefiji are trending strongly.
Watch aerial footage from Fiji:
