A cyclone packing violent winds killed at least nine people as it struck Madagascar, toppling houses and causing major flooding, the Indian Ocean island’s disaster authority said Wednesday.
Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Tuesday, slamming into the country’s second-largest city, Toamasina, with winds reaching 250 kilometres per hour.
The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNRGC) said it recorded nine deaths at the impact zone after houses collapsed. Another 19 people were hurt, it said in a statement.
Drone footage shared by BNRGC on social media showed major flooding in the east coast city of 400,000 people, about 220 km northeast of the capital Antananarivo, with roofs ripped off buildings and trees uprooted.
