ANTANANARIVO – In a devastating 24-hour period, Cyclone Gezani claimed the lives of at least 36 individuals, injured over 370, and obliterated nearly 18,000 homes throughout Madagascar, officials reported on Thursday.

The President of Madagascar has declared the situation a national disaster, urging the international community to extend support to the impoverished island nation in the Indian Ocean.

The powerful cyclone struck land late Tuesday, inflicting significant damage first in the key port city of Toamasina, located on the east coast, before continuing its destructive path across the country.

By Thursday, the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management confirmed that the death toll had climbed to at least 36, with six people still unaccounted for. Additionally, 374 individuals sustained injuries, and the storm affected over 250,000 residents.

The majority of the fatalities, 32 in total, occurred in the Toamasina region, which is Madagascar’s primary port and a vital economic center. President Michael Randrianirina noted that 75% of the city suffered damage or was destroyed.

Given that many of Madagascar’s 31 million inhabitants reside in structures ill-equipped to withstand severe weather, authorities reported that numerous fatalities resulted from building collapses.

The disaster agency said 17,980 houses were destroyed and more than 37,000 others were damaged by Gezani, which brought winds in excess of 195 kilometers per hour (121 miles per hour).

Drone video released by the disaster agency showed the extent of the damage in Toamasina, home to more than 300,000 people. Almost every building sustained major damage by having their roofs or other parts of the structures ripped off. Many buildings were flattened completely, while trees were stripped bare or uprooted and left lying in roads across the city.

Residents trudged through floodwater that reached to their knees as they began to piece their lives back together.

“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 in Toamasina and its surroundings,” Randrianirina said after he visited the city that took the brunt of the cyclone. He called on all of Madagascar’s people to help with the recovery effort.

Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast, is especially vulnerable to destructive storms that blow in off the Indian Ocean. It has been hit by more than a dozen cyclones or strong tropical storms since 2020.

A cyclone hit the northwest part of the island just last month, killing at least 14 people.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa