Tropical Cyclone Gezani battered Madagascar with fierce winds, resulting in at least 31 deaths and four people missing, according to the country's disaster management office. The storm made landfall near Toamasina late on Tuesday, causing widespread destruction. It marks the second cyclone to hit the island nation this year.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar late on Tuesday, unleashing sustained winds of about 185 km per hour and gusts up to nearly 270 km per hour. The storm ripped metal sheeting from rooftops, uprooted large trees, and caused homes to collapse, roofs to tear away, walls to crumble, and power lines to snap, plunging neighbourhoods into darkness.
The National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) reported at least 31 deaths, with 29 in Toamasina, Madagascar's second-largest city, and two in a neighbouring district. Four people remain missing, and at least 36 were seriously injured. More than 2,740 residents were evacuated from coastal communities before the cyclone moved inland, displacing an additional 6,870 people. In total, 250,406 individuals were classified as disaster victims.
Residents in Toamasina described chaotic scenes. "I have never experienced winds this violent ... The doors and windows are made of metal, but they are being violently shaken," said Harimanga Ranaivo.
Ahead of the storm, officials closed schools and prepared emergency shelters. The BNGRC had warned of rising sea levels flooding streets in Toamasina.
By Wednesday morning, Madagascar's meteorological service reported that Gezani had weakened to a moderate tropical storm and was moving westward inland, about 100 km north of the capital, Antananarivo. "Gezani will cross the central highlands from east to west today, before moving out to sea into the Mozambique Channel this evening or tonight," the service said.
This is the second cyclone to affect Madagascar this year. Tropical Cyclone Fytia struck 10 days earlier, killing 14 people and displacing over 31,000, according to the United Nations' humanitarian office.
