Cyclone Gezani Death Toll in Madagascar Rises to 59

Cyclone Gezani swept across the region just 10 days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia killed 14 people and displaced more than 31,000, according to the United Nations humanitarian office.

At its peak, Gezani packed sustained winds of about 185 km per hour, with gusts reaching nearly 270 km per hour. The powerful storm tore metal sheets from rooftops and uprooted large trees.

The cyclone moved west across the Mozambique Channel, bringing strong winds and waves up to 10 metres along southern Mozambique, the country’s weather service said.

Gezani later curved back east over the channel and is forecast to loop toward Madagascar again. A second landfall is expected in the country’s southwest on Monday.

Authorities have placed Ampanihy district on red alert. The cyclone is expected to pass about 100 km off the coast on Monday evening, with winds of around 65 km per hour but little heavy rainfall, the weather service said.

The death toll from Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar has risen to 59, with 804 people injured, according to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC). More than 420,000 people have been affected across 25 districts in five eastern and central regions. The cyclone damaged over 49,000 homes and destroyed more than 25,000, the agency said, as reported by Xinhua.

Authorities are continuing damage assessments and relief operations, while aid distribution is underway in affected areas.

The Malagasy government declared a state of national disaster on February 11 due to the widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Gezani.

Earlier, the BNGRC had reported 38 deaths and more than 260,000 people affected by the storm.