STORMS IN FIJI

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30042, 29 January 1963, Page 13

STORMS IN FIJI

Lightning Kills Four (N Z. Press Assh.—Copyright) SUVA, January 28. Violent tropical thunderstorms in widely separated parts of Fiji have caused four deaths and have damaged a radio installation at Suva police headquarters. At two remote Fijian villages in western Viti Levu, lightning bolts struck with fatal results. Three villagers were killed and eight others injured when lightning struck the house in which they were sitting. A medical team sent from Nandi, 30 miles away, found that the survivors were suffering from severe shock, and in some cases burns. Near another village, a Fijian farmer was killed by lightning while putting his bullocks away after work. During a series of heavy thunderstorms over Suva yesterday, lightning struck the aerial of the poli *e radio communications system installed specially for the Royal visit The damage is being repaired by Army experts. Three small Fijian gills were drowned in a storraflooded drain in the Suva suburb of Samabula. Wettest Day In Melbourne (N.Z Press Assn—Copyright) MELBOURNE, Jan. id. Rain drenched most of Victoria and parts of South Australia for hour after hour today. In Melbourne, all Australia Day holiday sport was washed out although races were held at Moonee Valley. Play in the fourth test at Adelaide was held up until just after 2 p.m. By mid-afternoon, Melbourne had had its wettest January day on record—a fall since midnight of 341 points, or 44 more than the previous highest in 1897.