Cyclone Gezani kills four in Mozambique as Madagascar assesses damage

"The AFP news agency, citing meteorologists, said the storm lashed Inhambane with winds of up to 215km per hour (134mph). It brought down trees and power lines, leaving more than 13,000 people without power, the national electric company said. Water supplies were also cut off in several districts of the city of Inhambane. The city is home to some 100,000 people."

"The eye of the cyclone passed on Tuesday over Madagascar's second-largest city, Toamasina, which has a population of 400,000, leaving it devastated. The Indian Ocean island's leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said about 75 percent of the city had been destroyed. Tania Goosens, the World Food Programme's (WFP) Madagascar director, said on Friday that the scale of destruction is overwhelming in Toamasina. The authorities have reported that 80 percent of the city has been damaged, she told reporters."

"Cyclone Gezani has hit Mozambique's southern coastal province of Inhambane, killing at least four people, according to officials. The toll in Mozambique on Saturday came a day after the cyclone tore through Madagascar, killing at least 41 people and leaving a trail of destruction across the island. In Madagascar, the government declared a national emergency and said the storm had caused an estimated $142m in damage. In addition to the deaths, at least 427 people were injured, and some 16,300 were displaced, according to officials."

Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar first, killing at least 41 people, injuring 427, displacing about 16,300 people, and causing an estimated $142 million in damage. The cyclone's eye passed over Toamasina, where authorities reported roughly three-quarters of the city damaged, electricity at about five percent, and no water. The storm then hit Mozambique's Inhambane province, killing at least four people and bringing winds up to 215 km/h that toppled trees and power lines, leaving over 13,000 without power and cutting water supplies. Mozambique is still recovering from recent floods that affected more than 700,000 people and damaged over 170,000 homes, with scientists linking increased disaster frequency to climate change.

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