Madagascar cyclone death toll rises to 59

Toamasina, Madagascar: Flooding and fierce winds have pushed Madagascar s death toll from Cyclone Gezani to 59, with more than a dozen people still un...

Toamasina, Madagascar: Flooding and fierce winds have pushed Madagascar's death toll from Cyclone Gezani to 59, with more than a dozen people still unaccounted for, the country's disaster agency said on Monday.

It is the latest in a string of tropical storms to batter the southern African island in recent months, underscoring its vulnerability to increasingly extreme weather fuelled by climate change.

At least 59 people had been killed countrywide by the cyclone, which slammed into Madagascar on February 10, the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNRGC) said, while more than 16,000 people have been displaced by storm waters.

A previous report had put the death toll at 43.

Most of the fatalities were reported in the port city of Toamasina on the east coast, formerly known as Tamatave, Madagascar's second largest urban centre with around 400,000 inhabitants.