Vanuatu president speaks of despair at Cyclone Pam damage

The president of Vanuatu appealed on Saturday for help as a powerful cyclone swept across his archipelago nation.

Speaking at the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan, Baldwin Lonsdale told delegates he was addressing them with a "heavy heart".

Cyclone Pam has brought winds of up to 270km/h (170mph) and torrential rain.

The number of dead is yet to be confirmed.