ANTANANARIVO, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Cyclone Batsirai hit the east coast of Madagascar on Saturday evening after passing off the coast of Reunion, causing power cuts and the first damage to homes.
The island of Madagascar was hit just two weeks ago by another cyclone, Ana, which killed 55 people.
Batsirai, accompanied by winds blowing at 165 km/h, reached the coast of Madagascar north of the town of Mananjary around 8:00 p.m. local time (17:00 GMT).
“The wind is terrible. I’ve never experienced that. Mananjary has never experienced such a situation. The waves are very high,” Hanitra Raharisoa, who lives in this commune, told Reuters.
In Antananarivo, the capital, the streets were quiet, with most residents evidently deciding to stay at home. Shops were essentially closed. (Lovasoa Rabary report; with Christophe Van Der Perre and Alkis Konstantinidis; written by Elias Biryabarema, French version Bertrand Boucey)