Death Toll in Madagascar Cyclone Rises to 35

A cyclone packing violent winds has killed at least 35 people and caused devastation in Madagascar’s second-largest city, the Indian Ocean island’s disaster authority said on Thursday, releasing an updated toll.

The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNRGC) on Thursday said it had recorded 35 deaths, while six people remained missing and at least 374 were injured.

More than 8,800 people were displaced, it said.

Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Tuesday, slamming into the eastern coastal city of Toamasina, with winds reaching 250 kilometres (155 miles) per hour.

Madagascar’s new leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has called for international solidarity after the cyclone ravaged up to 75 percent of Toamasina and its surroundings. 

According to the BNRGC, more than 18,000 homes were destroyed in the cyclone, with 50,000 damaged or flooded.

The storm also caused carnage in the Atsinanana region surrounding the city, the authority said, adding that post-disaster assessments were still underway.