This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8497969.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Tahiti red alert cyclone warning Polynesia battered by Cyclone Oli
(about 20 hours later)
Tahiti has been placed on red alert as Cyclone Oli threatens the French Polynesian group of islands. Thousands of people have been evacuated in French Polynesia as Cyclone Oli batters the archipelago.
A statement issued by the Pacific island's high commissioner warned islanders to stay indoors. A red alert has been declared in Tahiti and nearby islands, where winds of up to 200km/h (120mph have hit.
The statement predicted winds of more than 130km/h (80mph), with seven-metre (23ft) waves expected. Several people are reported to have been injured while officials said hundreds of homes had been damaged and power and telephone lines brought down.
Schools and roads have been closed and car travel banned on several islands. More than 600 tourists on the island of Bora Bora have been relocated. Schools and roads have been closed and car travel banned on several islands in the region.
Cyclone Oli had been upgraded from a tropical storm on Wednesday night, the statement said. Some 3,400 people living close to the shoreline in Tahiti and Moorea were moved from their homes, said officials.
The French Minister for Overseas Territories, Marie-Luce Penchard, who has been in Papeete since Sunday, told the AFP news agency many families were facing "grave health dangers". Moving south
Magali Charbonneau, senior adviser to the region's top French official, said evacuees were being housed in churches, schools and temples, the Associated Press reported.
Ms Charbonneau said people not evacuated should stay indoors.
There were reports that one man was seriously injured falling from his roof in Bora Bora.
Forecasters are predicting the cyclone will move south towards the Austral islands of Tubai and Mataura, with winds of 250km/h (155 mph).
One man on Tubuai said residents had moved to higher ground.
"It is impossible to leave the island, there is no plane, no ship, and no it's a high island," Alain Gylphe told Australia's ABC News.
Cyclone Oli had been upgraded from a tropical storm on Wednesday night, the island's high commissioner said.
The French Minister for Overseas Territories, Marie-Luce Penchard, who has been in Tahiti's capital Papeete since Sunday, told the AFP news agency on Thursday many families were facing "grave health dangers".
If there was widespread damage, she would be visiting affected areas "to see how France can help Polynesia", she added.If there was widespread damage, she would be visiting affected areas "to see how France can help Polynesia", she added.
In a statement, the High Commission for the islands recommended "staying at home or joining communal shelters".