Officials report that Cyclone Gamane has devastated northern Madagascar, claiming the lives of at least 11 individuals and leaving hundreds of homes in ruins.
Initially predicted to skirt the Indian Ocean island, the cyclone unexpectedly veered course, battering the Vohemar district in the early hours of Wednesday.
Distressing video footage depicts torrents of water inundating villages, prompting residents to form human chains in a valiant effort to rescue those trapped in submerged homes.
With numerous routes and bridges submerged, access to affected areas has been severely restricted. Tragically, six individuals perished by drowning, while five others lost their lives due to collapsed dwellings or falling trees. The catastrophic impact has affected approximately 7,000 individuals in total.
“It’s rare to have a cyclone like this. Its movement is nearly stationary,” General Elack Andriakaja, director general of the BNGRC national disaster management office, said in a statement.
“When the system stops in one place, it devastates all the infrastructure. And that has serious consequences for the population. And significant flooding”, he said.
The true scale of the devastation remains uncertain as many villages in the affected region have been isolated from the rest of the country, hampering the efforts of rescue teams to assess the damage and provide assistance.
With an average wind speed of 150km/h (93mph) and torrential rainfall, Cyclone Gamane swept across the island, with some areas experiencing winds reaching speeds of 210km/h (130mph).
Meteorologists have downgraded Gamane to a tropical storm, anticipating its departure from the island by Friday afternoon.
Situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, Madagascar is no stranger to severe weather events. Just a year ago, tropical Cyclone Freddy wrought havoc across the country, as well as neighboring mainland nations such as Mozambique and Malawi, claiming the lives of over 500 individuals.
