Village wiped out as 10 die, 48,000 displaced in Madagascan cyclone

At least 10 people have been killed with nearly 48,000 displaced as a deadly storm, Cyclone Batsirai, struck Madagascar on Sunday, leaving in its wake severe destruction, according to the country’s national disaster management agency on Monday.

The report noted that though the cyclone later weakened, it had wreaked serious havoc in the poor Indian Ocean island nation which was still reeling from a deadly tropical storm earlier this year.

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“Parts of the country were lashed with heavy rains and wind before the cyclone made a landfall in Mananjary.

“It uprooted trees, destroyed buildings and forced residents to weigh down flimsy corrugated iron roofs along its path,” the agency reported.

“The rain will cause flooding across parts of the country,” added Madagascar’s meteorological office in another report.

The Cyclone Batsirai made a landfall late Sunday as an intense tropical cyclone, packing winds of 165 kilometres (102 miles) per hour, according to Faly Aritiana Fabien of the country’s disaster management agency.

His colleague responsible for risk management, Paolo Emilio Raholinarivo, listed 10 dead, but gave no further details.

The country’s disaster management agency said nearly 48,000 people were moved to emergency accommodation.

In the eastern coastal town of Vatomandry, more than 200 people were crammed in one room in a Chinese-owned concrete building.

Community leader Thierry Louison Leaby lamented the lack of clean water after the water utility company turned off supplies ahead of the cyclone.

“People are cooking with dirty water,” he said, amid fears of a diarrhea outbreak.

Those who chose to remain in their homes used sandbags and yellow jerrycans to buttress their roofs.

Several hours after Batsirai made landfall, forecasters said the cyclone had weakened, with wind speeds dropping almost by half.

But they warned that floods were still expected due to heavy rain.

Batsirai is the second major storm to hit the island nation in less than two weeks.

Storm Ana caused widespread destruction and killed 55 people when it struck last month. The storm also forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.