ANTANANIVO, Madagascar – A tropical cyclone has devastated Madagascar, leaving 18 people dead and four missing after triggering a landslide earlier this week in the northern Indian Ocean island nation, authorities said Friday.
The storm also caused severe flooding that partially submerged entire towns, displaced or damaged nearly 47,000 people and triggered landslides that injured three people, the National Disaster Management Office said.
Cyclone Gamane made landfall in northern Madagascar on Wednesday and has now weakened significantly, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.
In the northern regions of Diana and Sava, bridges and roads were washed away, and homes and rice fields were submerged. Residents traveled by boat through their towns in an effort to help people trapped in their homes, while the water level almost reached the roofs of some buildings.
A red hurricane warning was lifted Thursday morning after the worst part of the storm included wind gusts of more than 210 kilometers per hour (130 mph).
Madagascar has been hit by at least 10 powerful tropical cyclones since the beginning of 2022, and is facing a hunger crisis in several parts of the island due to the harmful impact of extreme weather, according to the World Food Programme.
The United Nations said the number of cyclones in the past two years was unprecedented in Madagascar, whose southern region also faced its worst drought in 40 years. It is one of the countries most at risk from climate change and one of the highest poverty rates, according to the World Bank.
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