Madagascar cyclone death toll hits 51, 22 missing

ANTANANARIVO: The cyclone that slammed into Madagascar earlier this month has claimed 51 lives, with 54,000 people displaced by flooding, heavy rain and high winds, authorities said.

Tropical cyclone Ava made landfall on January 5, lashing the eastern part of the African island for 24 hours, with many rivers overflowing, roads cut off and bridges submerged. Twenty-two people are still missing while 161,000 others have been affected following the storms, the National Bureau for Risk and Catastrophe Management (NBRCM) said late on Sunday.

The toll from Ava stood at 29 dead and 80,000 affected one week ago. Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries, is regularly hit by cyclones. In March last year, cyclone Enawo killed at least 78 people.