Cyclone Gamane killed several people in the island state of Madagascar. Entire places were temporarily under water. It is not yet clear how extensive the damage is.
Cyclone Gamane hit Madagascar with wind speeds of up to 210 kilometers per hour. At least twelve people died. The tropical storm hit the island nation off the southeast coast of Africa after an unexpected change of course yesterday.
The national civil protection agency announced that six of the victims reported so far drowned and five others were killed by falling trees or when houses collapsed. Entire villages were temporarily flooded. In total, around 7,000 people were affected by the consequences of the storm.
Rescue workers were initially unable to reach several locations.
In some cases entire towns are isolated from the outside world
“Gamane” hit the north of the island on Wednesday morning – also with heavy rainfall. According to the civil protection authority, many towns are cut off from the rest of the country and therefore difficult to reach for rescue workers. The extent of the damage is therefore not yet foreseeable.
The head of the authority, Elack Andriakaja, said that the storm was only moving slowly. It could have “serious consequences” for the population if the storm remains in one position for a longer period of time. Destruction of the “entire infrastructure” and “significant flooding” were the result.
On Thursday the storm was still circling over the north-west coast of Madagascar. (As of: March 28, 24, 3 p.m., CET)
Region more often affected by severe storms
Meanwhile, “Gamane” has been downgraded to a tropical cyclone and was expected to leave the island on Friday afternoon, according to meteorologists’ forecasts. The southwest Indian Ocean is regularly hit by cyclones between November and April. Just a year ago, Cyclone “Freddy” devastated the island of Madagascar and the neighboring countries of Mozambique and Malawi on the mainland. More than 500 people were killed.