News Center – Madagascar, located off the eastern coast of Africa, is one of the regions most exposed to tropical storms coming from the Indian Ocean. Since 2020, it has experienced more than 12 cyclones or severe storms.

The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management in Madagascar announced yesterday, Monday, 16 February, that Cyclone “Gezani,” which hit the country in recent days, has killed 59 people and injured about 800, while the number of those affected has exceeded 423,000.

The office stated that Cyclone “Gezani,” the second tropical storm to strike the country this year, has displaced more than 16,000 people, with around 423,000 classified as disaster-affected, while experts continue to assess the scale of the damage.

The tropical cyclone made landfall on the eastern coast near the city of Toamasina, Madagascar’s second-largest city, last Wednesday, causing the deaths of nine people, according to authorities. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) explained that the cyclone hit the country only ten days after Cyclone “Fetia,” which killed 14 people and displaced more than 31,000.

At its peak, “Gezani” recorded wind speeds of about 185 km/h, with gusts reaching 270 km/h. The meteorological authority reported that the authorities placed the Ambanihy area in the southwest of the country on maximum alert.