by Lovasoa Rabary
ANTANANARIVO, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Cyclone Batsirai has killed three people in Madagascar, where it caused collapsed homes, power cuts and flooding.
After skimming Reunion, Batsirai hit the east coast of Madagascar on Saturday evening with heavy rains and winds blowing up to 165 km/h.
One of the hardest hit localities was Nosy Varika, on the coast, where most buildings were destroyed. The city is also cut off from the rest of the country due to flooding, a local official said on Sunday.
Public radio reported three people killed in the collapse of their home in Ambalavao, nearly 500 km south of the capital Antananarivo.
“We only see desolation: uprooted trees, downed electric poles, roofs blown away, the city completely under water,” said Nirina Rahaingosoa, a resident of Fianarantsoa 420 km south of the city. ‘Antananarivo, reached by telephone by Reuters.
The island of Madagascar was hit just two weeks ago by another cyclone, Ana, which killed 55 people. (with Christophe Van Der Perre and Natasa Bansagi, written by Elias Biryabarema, French version Bertrand Boucey)