Cyclone Batsirai blows across Indian Ocean toward Madagascar

Weather officials forecast that the full force of Cyclone Batsirai is to hit Madagascar Saturday evening

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar -- The full force of Cyclone Batsirai is forecast to hit Madagascar Saturday evening, according to weather officials.

The cyclone is gaining strength as it blows across the Indian Ocean, with gale-force winds reaching peaks of 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour, according to the island's meteorology department.

“Following its slow and quite variable movement, the expected arrival of the eye is delayed until (Saturday) evening or at night,” said the weather department in a statement.

Batsirai, which means help in the Shona language, is expected to inflict “significant and widespread damage, particularly flooding in the east, the southeast and the central highlands," said the statement.