Death toll from Cyclone Batsirai rises in Madagascar as thousands are left homeless

More than two dozen people are dead and thousands are homeless after a tropical storm struck Madagascar over the weekend.

LONDON -- More than two dozen people are dead and thousands are homeless after a tropical storm struck Madagascar over the weekend, the second to batter the island nation since the start of the year.

With wind gusts of up to about 143 miles per hour, Cyclone Batsirai made landfall on Madagascar's eastern coast late Saturday before sweeping across the central and southern parts on Sunday. The storm departed Madagascar on Monday morning and returned to sea, but heavy rainfall was forecast for southern Madagascar through Tuesday, according to the country's meteorology department, fueling fears of more flooding.

The cyclone's powerful winds and torrential rains flooded roads and farmland, ripped roofs from homes and buildings and knocked down trees and utility poles. The hardest-hit areas were on the eastern side of the country, though the full scope of the damage was still being assessed.

According to Madagascar's National Office for Risk and Disaster Management, more than 94,000 people have been impacted by Batsirai, which was classified by the country's meteorology department as a dangerous storm. As of Wednesday, at least 30 people have died and over 59,000 others remain displaced from their homes.