Tropical Cyclone Gezani has ravaged Madagascar’s east coast, killing at least 31 people and causing catastrophic damage as it made landfall near the port city of Toamasina, authorities said.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar late Tuesday with ferocious winds up to 250 km/h (155 mph), unleashing torrential rain and flooding that collapsed homes, snapped power lines and uprooted trees across a large swath of the Indian Ocean island nation. The deaths were widely concentrated in Toamasina and surrounding districts, where residents described scenes of “monstrous” destruction in areas left without electricity and basic services.
Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management reported that at least 36 others were seriously injured and four people remain missing as rescue teams scrambled to reach cut-off communities in the cyclone’s aftermath. More than 6,000 people have been displaced from their homes, with entire neighborhoods submerged in floodwaters and debris blocking major roads.
President Michael Randrianirina, who seized power in an October military coup, visited the hardest-hit areas Wednesday, surveying flattened buildings and meeting residents struggling amid the wreckage. Government officials said around 75 percent of Toamasina’s infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed, prompting an urgent appeal for national and international support.
The cyclone’s fury also disrupted critical services in the impoverished nation of more than 31 million people, leaving schools closed, businesses shuttered and supply chains strained. Madagascar frequently faces cyclones between November and March, but Gezani’s intensity rivalled some of the worst storms on record in the region, with forecasters warning of further flooding and landslides as its remnants push inland.
Emergency responders and humanitarian agencies are intensifying relief efforts, delivering food, water and medical supplies to isolated communities. The United Nations and partner organizations have urged donors to increase support as the government mobilizes to shelter the displaced and treat the injured. Many residents face immediate needs for clean water and shelter, raising concerns about disease outbreaks in flood-soaked areas.
The storm struck less than two weeks after Cyclone Fytia tore through northern Madagascar, killing at least 14 people and displacing tens of thousands, compounding recovery challenges and stretching aid resources thin. Experts say the back-to-back cyclones highlight Madagascar’s vulnerability to extreme weather events, particularly as climate change intensifies storm severity and impacts low-income communities with fragile infrastructure.
Local officials warned that as Gezani’s remnants move west into the Mozambique Channel, they could re-intensify and threaten neighboring coastal areas, prompting weather alerts in countries like Mozambique. With relief operations underway and casualty figures still evolving, the full scale of Cyclone Gezani’s impact is expected to become clearer in coming days as assessments continue in isolated regions.