Madagascar cyclone death toll rises to 59 as devastation mounts

The death toll from Cyclone Gezani, which slammed into Madagascar’s east coast on February 10, has risen to 59, with 15 people still missing and more than 16,000 displaced, the country’s disaster agency announced Monday.

Most fatalities occurred in Toamasina, Madagascar’s second-largest city of 400,000, where the cyclone made landfall with winds reaching 250 kilometers per hour.

The destruction is extensive—approximately 25,000 homes destroyed, 27,000 flooded, and over 200 classrooms wrecked.

The city now operates on just five percent of its electricity and remains without running water.

Back-to-vack storms expose climate vulnerability

This marks the second cyclone to strike the island nation in weeks, following Tropical Cyclone Fytia, which killed at least seven and displaced 20,000 in early February.

The back-to-back disasters underscore Madagascar’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather fueled by climate change.

International response underway

China and France have deployed search-and-rescue support, while Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the stricken nation.

The storm largely spared Mozambique, though at least four died there.