Madagascar cyclone: Over 16,000 displaced as death toll rises to 59

No fewer than 59 people have been confirmed dead in Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar.

The National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) confirmed the death toll on Monday, saying the cyclone displaced 16,428, 15 people remain missing, 804 were injured, and 423,986 were classified as affected by the disaster.

Gezani barrelled through Madagascar just 10 days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia killed 14 people and displaced over 31,000, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian office.

At its peak, Gezani had sustained winds of about 185 km (115 miles) per hour, with gusts rising to nearly 270 km per hour – powerful enough to rip metal sheeting from rooftops and uproot large trees.

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The cyclone moved westward across the Mozambique Channel, bringing heavy winds and waves of up to 10 metres in the southern end of Mozambique, Reuters reported.

The weather system has since curved back eastward over the channel, and forecasts show it looping toward Madagascar again, with a second landfall expected in southwestern Madagascar on Monday.

Authorities have placed Ampanihy district in southwestern Madagascar on red alert, with Gezani forecast to pass about 100 km off its coast on Monday evening, bringing winds of around 65 km/h but no heavy rainfall.

The Star