A tornado has hit East Are Are in Malaita in Solomon Islands, causing major damage to a village 50 kilometres from the Seventh Day Adventist Church's Atoifi Hospital.
Police say they have been notified that about 50 houses have been flattened but no serious injuries or deaths have been reported.
Our correspondent says a helicopter chartered by the National Disaster Office had to turn back from a flight to the disaster zone because of bad weather.
