Dozens dead and thousands displaced in Madagascar by 167mph cyclone

Dozens of people have been killed and thousands displaced after a cyclone hit Madagascar with gusts of up to 167mph.

The trail of destruction left by Tropical Cyclone Gezani has caused at least 31 deaths, the country’s disaster management office said.

Four others are missing, 36 are seriously injured, and 6,870 are displaced, with more than 250,000 people classified as disaster victims in total, officials said.

At its peak, the cyclone unleashed gusts of up to 167mph (270kph) – enough to tear metal sheeting from roofs and uproot large trees – with sustained winds of 115mph (185kph).

It comes just days after another cyclone, Tropical Cyclone Fytia, wrought havoc in Madagascar, killing 14 people and displacing 85,000 more.

Toamasina, the island nation’s second-largest city, was the hardest hit by Gezani, with 29 people killed as homes collapsed beneath the onslaught.

All told, 75% of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed, according to the office of President Michael Randrianirina. Power has been cut off since Tuesday.

“I have never experienced winds this violent,” said resident Harimanga Ranaivo. “The doors and windows are made of metal, but they are being violently shaken.”

Another resident, who gave his name only as Michel, described the scene as “devastation” when reached by phone.

He said: “Roofs have been blown away, walls have collapsed, power poles are down, trees have been uprooted. It looks like a catastrophic landscape.”

Red alerts were issued for several regions at risk of floods and landslides as the cyclone made landfall.

Gezani weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland on Wednesday, passing some 60 miles north of the capital, Antananarivo.

But it’s expected to pass into the Mozambique Channel, which separates Madagascar from mainland Africa, where forecasters warn it might strengthen again.

Now the island faces the prospect of Gezani turning back and bringing fresh destruction to its southwest coast next week.

Weather alerts have also been issued across the channel in Mozambique, where floods last month hit more than 700,000 people.

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Madagascar’s cyclone season lasts from roughly November to March, with more than a dozen tropical storms or cyclones recorded since 2020.