'Winston' bears down causing Fijians to 'bunker down'

Australians holidaying in Fiji have been told to "bunker down" as a Category 5 cyclone bears down on the South Pacific nation.

Local media is reporting an elderly man has died on Koro island as Tropical Cyclone Winston, described as one of the most powerful storms in recorded history, lashes the mainland with wind gusts of up to 325km/h.

Flights in and out of Fiji were cancelled on Saturday as the cyclone hammered the outer eastern islands of Fiji with winds averaging 220km/h.

Read the Melbourne Age story - “Flights grounded as Tropical Cyclone Winston approaches Fiji.”