Cyclone Gezani devastates Toamasina with 250 km/h winds, killing 31, injuring 36, and affecting over 250,000 people as Madagascar calls for international aid
ANTANANARIVO: A powerful cyclone has killed at least 31 people in Madagascar’s second-largest city, causing widespread destruction.
Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Tuesday, slamming into the coastal city of Toamasina with winds reaching 250 kilometres per hour.
The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management confirmed the death toll, with many fatalities occurring after houses collapsed.
Four people remain missing and at least 36 are seriously injured, with over 250,000 people affected by the storm.
Madagascar’s leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, described the scene as a disaster. “What happened is a disaster: nearly 75 percent of the city of Toamasina was destroyed,” he said after travelling to the city ahead of the cyclone’s arrival.
He called for international support, stating the situation exceeds national capabilities. “The current situation exceeds Madagascar’s capabilities alone,” Randrianirina said, appealing to “international partners and donors” for aid.
Drone footage shared by authorities showed major flooding in the city of 400,000 people. Residents were seen wading through water, with streets littered with uprooted trees and buildings stripped of their roofs.
The storm also caused significant damage in the surrounding Atsinanana region. The head of disaster management at Action Against Hunger, Rija Randrianarisoa, described “total chaos” with 90% of house roofs damaged.
“The roads are completely inaccessible because of trees on the ground, sheet metal,” he told AFP. A local resident described the winds as “monstrous,” stating they had collapsed solid walls.
The cyclone forecaster on France’s Reunion island confirmed Toamasina was “directly hit by the most intense part” of the storm.
They noted the landfall was likely one of the most intense recorded in the region during the satellite era.
Commercial flights to Toamasina airport were suspended except for humanitarian and military flights.
Fifteen members of the army’s civil protection unit were dispatched to assist with rescue operations.
Cyclone Gezani weakened after landfall but continued to sweep across the island, posing ongoing flood risks.
It is forecast to regain strength over the Mozambique Channel and could strike southern Mozambique later this week.
The storm is the latest in a history of deadly cyclones to hit Madagascar. Previous major storms include Geralda in 1994, Gretelle in 1997, and Gafilo, which left 241 dead.
More than 70 percent of houses in Madagascar are built from precarious materials such as clay and branches.
The cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean typically lasts from November to April.