At least 11 dead as Cyclone Gamane strikes Madagascar
More than 47,000 people, including 23,000 children, are at risk of floods and landslides as Cyclone Gamane made landfall in Madagascar. Photo: Save the Children Global Media/X
At least 11 people have died after Cyclone Gamane struck the African island nation of Madagascar.
About 7000 people were affected by the devastation caused by the cyclone, which reached the north of the island on Wednesday, the National Authority for Civil Protection said on Thursday.
The cyclone moved across the island with an average wind speed of 150km/h and heavy rainfall.
In some places, winds of 210km/h were measured.
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The disaster authority said hundreds of houses, roads and bridges were flooded or destroyed in northern Madagascar.
The full extent of the damage is still unclear, because many villages in the region were cut off from the rest of the country, making access difficult for rescue teams.
The nation of about 30 million people, which lies in the Indian Ocean, is regularly affected by severe weather.
A year ago, tropical storm Freddy devastated Madagascar as well as the neighbouring mainland countries of Mozambique and Malawi.
More than 500 people were killed.
