Heavy rain kills dozens in Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO: At least 21 people have died in Madagascar following almost a week of torrential rain in the north-west of the island, the government said on Friday.

The tropical Indian Ocean nation is in the midst of an intense six-month rainy season that often leads to casualties and widespread damage. Flooding in the districts of Mitsinjo and Maevatanana has claimed at least 21 lives since Sunday, and 20 more people are still missing and thousands displaced, the National Bureau of Disaster Risk Management (BNGRC) announced on Friday.

Strips of road were swept away by the rains and access to affected areas has been cut off. The BNGRC warned that flooding in lowland and rice-growing areas posed a risk of "food insecurity and malnutrition".