International aid agencies are preparing to begin emergency helicopter flights on Tuesday to the remote outer islands of Vanuatu, which they fear have been devastated by a monster cyclone that tore through the South Pacific island country.
Disaster management officials and relief workers are still struggling to establish contact with the islands that bore the brunt of Cyclone Pam's winds of more than 300 kph (185 mph) on Friday and Saturday.
The cyclone killed at least 24 people and left some 3,300 people homeless after it destroyed homes, flattened buildings and washed away roads. Officials anticipate that number will rise once they are able to land on the outer islands of the scattered archipelago to inspect the damage there.