Flight Lieutenant Jamie Riddell told the BBC he had also seen a number of villagers as his transport plane made several low passes over the islands of Tikopia and Anuta.

Most of the corrugated iron structures were still upright, however all the grass and leaf structures had been knocked down Flight Lieutenant Jamie Riddell

But the crew of the Royal Australian Air Force plane was unable to judge how many casualties there were among the 2,000 inhabitants.

Contact is unlikely to be re-established with the islands before a boat with emergency supplies reaches them, probably on Friday.

A New Zealand journalist who made the first flight over the islands since they were hit by Cyclone Zoe said it would be a "miracle" if there was not a high death toll.

Geoff Mackley said it was the worst devastation he had seen in 20 years of covering natural disasters as a cameraman.

Fears for the communities prompted the Australian Government to order the reconnaissance flight over Tikopia and Anuta. The islands are part of the Solomon Islands.

Lieutenant Riddell told the BBC's World Today programme it was clear that both islands had been affected by the strong winds of Zoe, which was classified as the highest Category Five storm.

The cyclone denuded Tikopia of its vegetation

But there was evidence that people may have been able to find shelter from the winds of up to 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph).

"In the villages, most of the corrugated iron structures were still upright, however all the grass and leaf structures had been knocked down," he said.

It was impossible to judge how many casualties there may have been on the ground, as the crew were at a height of 150 metres (500 feet) and had only a few seconds to see each village.

But he said: "There were people moving around in the villages that we could see."

The crew took photographs of the islands which will be analysed in Australia to try to gauge the devastation and identify what aid is needed.

After his flight over Tikopia, Mackley wrote on his website: "The island is a scene of total devastation."

He added: "I will not speculate on the likely casualties or fatalities.

"If [the number] is not large, it will be a miracle."

Delayed aid

The Solomon Islands Government delayed sending help to the islands because it did not have the money to buy fuel for its patrol boats.

Meteorologists say the storm was strong enough to flatten buildings

Australia then donated 200,000 Solomon dollars (US$27,438) to allow the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) mercy mission from the Solomon capital, Honiara.

But having seen footage of the devastation, the government decided to send a bigger ship with larger stocks of food to the islands.

Martin Karani, of the Solomon Islands disaster management office, said the boat would leave Honiara on Thursday morning. It is hoped it will reach the storm-hit islands by Friday night. Neither island has a airstrip so both are only accessible by sea.

A four-year ethnic war has left the former British protectorate virtually bankrupt.

Correspondents say that requesting help from Canberra will have been embarrassing for the Solomons.

Last week, the Solomon Islands Government was strongly criticised by the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, for misuse of public funds.

Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza had used Australian aid provided for civil servants' salaries to pay money demanded by police who had fired shots at his house.