Death Toll From Vanuatu Storm Will Not Rise Dramatically, Says Government

The death toll from the devastating storm that pummelled Vanuatu last weekend will not rise significantly, the prime minister of the South Pacific island nation said today.

"The important thing is that the people survived," Prime Minister Joe Natuman told Reuters in an interview in the capital Port Vila. "If the people survived, we can rebuild."

Cyclone Pam roared across the island chain on last Friday and Saturday, bringing winds of up to 300 kph, torrential rain and massive storm surges, but the reported death toll was still a remarkably low 11 people almost a week later.

"It's not going to rise dramatically," the prime minister's private secretary said of the toll.