A tropical cyclone that swept through Madagascar last week has left at least 15 people dead and 20 000 others homeless, the disaster management department said on Monday.
Cyclone Bingiza hit the Indian Ocean island's eastern coast Monday and drove through the northern and southern regions and before drifting away on Saturday.
A total of 85 000 people were affected by the cyclone that destroyed homes and thousands of acres of rice fields, the National Disaster and Risk Management Bureau said.
“We are faced with an affected population without food reserves. There will certainly be huge losses in harvest in May, the main harvesting season in the year in the south-eastern region,” said Didier Young, of the relief group CARE.
Bingiza was the first cyclone to hit Madagascar in the cyclone season that runs from November to April.
In March 2010, tropical storm Hubert killed at least 83 people and affected a total of 187 000. -
Sapa-AFP