He said 39 people left the bus and went to his village nearby but another five people, including the driver, had decided to stay.
The bus had been swept away in a landslide by the time villagers returned, he said.
"The tragic deaths could have been avoided had the four passengers and the driver sought shelter at our village," he added.
The damage bill from the heavy tropical rain has already been put at about $5 million.
Fiji is a sprawling South Pacific nation comprising about 300 mainly islands with a population of about 800,000.
Eight killed in Fiji storms
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