A powerful cyclone has claimed at least 35 lives and left hundreds injured in Madagascar’s second-largest city, Toamasina, authorities said Thursday. Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Tuesday, bringing winds of up to 250 kilometres (155 miles) per hour.
The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNRGC) reported six people remain missing, at least 374 were injured, and more than 8,800 residents were displaced. Over 18,000 homes were destroyed, with another 50,000 damaged or flooded.
Madagascar’s new leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, appealed for international aid, saying the cyclone “ravaged up to 75 percent of Toamasina and its surrounding areas.” AFP images showed uprooted trees, blown-off roofs, and streets flooded with water, while humanitarian teams worked overnight to clear debris.
The storm also heavily impacted the surrounding Atsinanana region. France’s Reunion Island-based CMRS cyclone forecaster confirmed Toamasina was hit by the storm’s most intense sector. Experts say Gezani may rank among the strongest cyclones in the area since satellite monitoring began, rivaling Cyclone Geralda in February 1994, which killed over 200 people.
After weakening post-landfall, Gezani continued as a tropical storm across Madagascar until Wednesday night. Forecasters expect it to regain cyclone strength over the Mozambique Channel and potentially hit southern Mozambique by Friday evening, a region already battling severe flooding this year.
Cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean typically runs from November to April, producing around a dozen storms annually.