Authorities say at least 25 people have died and more than 37,000 have been displaced by Cyclone Cheneso.
More than two dozen Madagascans have died and tens of thousands have been left homeless after a strong tropical cyclone made landfall last week and circled off the island’s west coast for several days, according to official reports.
Cyclone Cheneso hit the northeast of Madagascar 10 days ago, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains that caused extensive flooding.
It moved southeast for a week, causing damage to homes and schools and blocking several national roads.
Currently, 25 people are known to have died and 21 people are still missing.
At least 83,181 people were affected and nearly 38,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
More than 23,600 homes were flooded and at least 500 others were completely destroyed, the disaster management agency said in an earlier post Friday evening.
Cheneso, which has temporarily turned into a tropical cyclone with winds of 118–166 km per hour (73–103 mph) in recent days, has “began to lose its purely tropical characteristics,” according to the Southwest Indian Ocean Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre. on the French overseas island of Reunion.
Cheneso made landfall on January 19 with winds up to 110 km/h.
It is the first tropical storm of South Africa’s current cyclone season, which typically lasts from November to April, to hit a cyclone-prone large island in the Indian Ocean.
In recent years, Madagascar and Mozambique have been hit repeatedly by severe storms and cyclones that have destroyed homes, infrastructure and crops and displaced large numbers of people.
Last January and February, Madagascar was hit by four major hurricanes, killing at least 138 people, destroying 124,000 homes and displacing about 130,000 people.
