Cyclone Gezani Tears Through Madagascar, Kills At Least 31

Fierce winds left a trail of destruction in Madagascar as Tropical Cyclone Gezani hit the island, killing at least 31 people and leaving another four missing, the country's disaster management office said on Wednesday.

Twenty-nine of the deaths were recorded in Toamasina, the impoverished Indian Ocean island nation's second-largest city, and two in a neighbouring district, the National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) said in an updated



report.

Residents in and around Toamasina described scenes of chaos as the cyclone made landfall late on Tuesday. "I have never experienced winds this violent .

The doors and windows are made of metal, but they are being violently shaken," said Harimanga Ranaivo. Gezani also left at least 36 people seriously injured. More than 2,740 residents were evacuated as a precaution after the cyclone struck coastal communities before moving inland.