Strong winds, swells and rain are battering Tonga as a cyclone reaches the Pacific Island nation. Autoplay

One person is dead in Tonga after Cyclone Ian ripped through the Pacific Island nation.

The category-five storm hit on Saturday, and there have been reports of flattened houses, felled trees and fallen power lines.
Tonga Red Cross head Sione Taumoefolau said one person died on Lifuka, an area believed to have been devastated, Matangi Tonga news website reported on Sunday.
The extent of the damage was not clear, but the islands of Ha'ano and Foa were also believed to be badly affected.
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said his country had sent a RNZAF P3 Orion aircraft, which arrived in Tonga on Sunday morning to assist with aerial assessments.
``We will also make $NZ50,000 ($A46,900) immediately available to respond to specific requests for assistance,'' he said.
Mr McCully said further support would be considered when the full extent of the damage was clear.
He said early reports suggested damage to buildings in Ha'apai, limited communications and power outages.
``Our thoughts are with the people of Tonga as they begin to come to terms with the damage caused by this cyclone,'' Mr McCully said.
Strong winds ripped from houses and public buildings have been damaged in the South Pacific nation after Cyclone Ian crossed over the archipellago today.
Telephone communications with the Ha'apai island group were cut as the storm reached its height, but local news media cites radio reports of a sea-surge on the island of Pangai which damaged the island's new fire station and the Tokaikolo Church.
Tonga's director of emergencies, Leveni Aho, had earlier cited reports of roofs ripped from homes and some major buildings - including three churches - as it moved through the Ha'apai groups of islands.
"This is one of the strongest cyclones on record in the last 50 years. We are concerned for the welfare of many people and the threats involved," he said.
The extent of the damage was still being assessed, but the destruction appeared to be less extensive than Tongans had feared from the first category-five storm they had experienced in decades.