Cyclone Gezani leaves 59 dead in Madagascar, displaces more than 16 000

At least 59 people died when Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar last week, the disaster management office said on Monday, as it assesses the impact of the second tropical storm to hit the Indian Ocean island nation this year.

The cyclone displaced 16 428, while 15 people remain missing, 804 were injured and 423 986 were classified as affected by the disaster, the National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) said.

Gezani barrelled through the country just 10 days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia killed 14 people and displaced over 31 000, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian office.

At its peak, Gezani had sustained winds of about 185 km per hour, with gusts rising to nearly 270 km per hour – powerful enough to rip metal sheeting from rooftops and uproot large trees.

The cyclone moved westward across the Mozambique Channel, bringing heavy winds and waves of up to 10