SUVA - MORE flooding hit Fiji on Wednesday after five days of tropical downpours left at least eight people dead and inundated homes, businesses and farms.

After rains eased in many areas on Tuesday, more rain hit parts of the Pacific Island nation overnight and on Wednesday.

A total of at least eight people were confirmed dead or missing since Friday, with police reporting that a 35-year-old woman was swept away in a flooded river on Tuesday after jumping in to avoid a landslide.

Local reports said the town of Labasa on the island of Vanua Levu was swamped by floodwaters up to two metres (six feet) deep early Tuesday although police said they had receded by midday.

Parts of Nadi, in the west of the largest island Viti Levu, flood waters returned Wednesday after more heavy rain. Flooding around the town has stopped hundreds of tourists from getting to the international airport to leave.

Nadi Mayor Timoci Koroiqica said there was about 65 centimetres of water (two feet) of water lying in the streets of the town, where many shops and offices were earlier inundated during weekend flooding.

Fiji Meteorological Service director Rajendra Prasad said heavy rain was expected to continue.

'Though there was a break in the rain in many parts of the country after midnight (Tuesday), more rain bands are expected to move in from the west and northwest today with further periods of heavy rain,' he said.

'Rain may become more intense tonight. Further flooding of low lying areas, rivers and streams is expected.' He added there was likely to be some improvement for many areas on Friday and Saturday, although more downpours were expected on Vanua Levu.

The government declared a state of natural disaster for western areas of Viti Levu on Sunday and public access was being restricted in Nadi and other western Viti Levu towns of Ba and Sigatoka. -- AFP