Cyclone leaves several dead in East African country

Thousands have been affected and displaced in Madagascar

At least 18 people have died and thousands displaced in the wake of tropical cyclone Gamane that hit Madagascar this week, Reuters reported on Friday.

According to a report of the National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC), hundreds of people lost their homes after a cyclone hit on Wednesday and Thursday. The storm was initially forecast to merely pass near Madagascar but veered off its projected path.

The report stated that three individuals sustained injuries, while four others remained unaccounted for, with approximately 7,000 people being affected overall.

“It’s rare to have a cyclone like this. Its movement is nearly stationary,” the director general of the BNGRC national disaster management office, General Elack Andriakaja, said.

The cyclone hit the northeastern coast of Madagascar near Vohémar on Wednesday morning, with sustained winds averaging 150km per hour and gusts reaching up to 210km per hour. It gradually weakened and dissipated by Thursday afternoon, according to a report by BNGRC on Thursday. The cyclone led to roads and bridges collapsing in the northern part of the country.