Category 5 Cyclone Pounds South Pacific Island, Levelling Buildings Amid Virus Lockdown

A powerful tropical cyclone made landfall on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Monday.

Cyclone Harold brings strong winds in Luganville, Vanuatu on April 6, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Courtesy of Adra Vanuatu/Social Media via Reuters

SYDNEY—A powerful tropical cyclone made landfall on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Monday, witnesses said, levelling buildings in a country already in a state of emergency due to concerns about the CCP virus.

Cyclone Harold approached Sanma province, an island north of the capital Port Vila, with winds of up to 133 miles (215 km) per hour about 1 pm local time (02:00 GMT), as the country of 276,000 people bunkered down.