Strong winds and torrential rain lashed the eastern town of Mananjary after cyclone Batsirai made landfall on Saturday (February 5). Video posted on social media and filmed from a balcony showed vegetation bent by strong winds, as well as some damaged buildings. Heavy rain inundated the roads in the video.
Batsirai swept inland late on Saturday, slamming into Madagascar’s eastern coastline with heavy rains and wind speeds of 165 kilometres per hour. It was projected it could displace as many as 150,000 people.
On Sunday three people were reported dead in the aftermath of the cyclone. Batsirai left a trail of devastation including collapsed buildings, power cuts and flooding. Madagascar is still reeling from tropical cyclone Ana that struck the Indian Ocean Island nation on January 22, leaving at least 55 dead from landslides and collapsed buildings and left widespread flooding.
After ravaging Madagascar, Ana moved west, making landfall in Mozambique and continuing inland to Malawi. A total of 88 people died, including those in Madagascar.
VIDEO: Cyclone Batsirai – Southern Africa battening down the hatches as tropical cyclone approaches
