Cyclone Gezani has torn across Madagascar with catastrophic force, killing at least 36 people, injuring more than 370 and destroying nearly 18,000 homes, authorities confirmed on Thursday. The scale of destruction has prompted President Michael Randrianirina to declare a national disaster and appeal for urgent international assistance for the impoverished island nation.
The cyclone made landfall late Tuesday, slamming into the eastern port city of Toamasina before sweeping across the country. The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said more than 250,000 people have been affected, with six still missing. Toamasina Madagascar’s main port and a vital economic hub suffered the worst impact, with 32 deaths recorded in the area alone. Randrianirina said 75 percent of the city had been damaged or destroyed.
Many of Madagascar’s 31 million residents live in fragile homes unable to withstand powerful storms, and officials said numerous deaths occurred when buildings collapsed. Gezani brought winds exceeding 195 kph (121 mph), flattening structures, uprooting trees and ripping roofs from nearly every building in Toamasina.
Drone footage released by the disaster agency revealed a city in ruins: homes reduced to rubble, streets blocked by fallen trees, and residents wading through knee‑deep floodwater as they searched for what remained of their belongings.
“We can clearly see what Toamasina needs right now: above all, food, basic necessities, and building materials to quickly rebuild everything that has been destroyed,” President Randrianirina said during a visit to the devastated city. He urged all citizens to join the national recovery effort.
Madagascar, sitting in the path of frequent Indian Ocean storms, has endured more than a dozen cyclones or severe tropical storms since 2020. Just last month, another cyclone struck the island’s northwest, killing at least 14 people.
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