Climate News

Cyclone Gezani tears through Madagascar's port city of Toamasina, killing dozens

Tropical Cyclone Gezani made landfall late on 10 February in Toamasina, the port city on Madagascar's east coast. AP, in a report carried by CP24, said winds topped 195km/h, at least 31 people were killed, some in building collapses, and more than 6,000 were displaced. The president's office said about 75% of the city's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, and power had been out since landfall. The UN released $3m from its emergency fund.

Africanews reported on 12 February that the national disaster office counted 35 deaths, six people missing and at least 374 injured. More than 18,000 homes were destroyed and 50,000 damaged or flooded. Forecasters on Réunion said the landfall was probably among the most intense in the region in the satellite era, comparable to Cyclone Geralda in February 1994, which killed at least 200 people.

"Roofs have been blown away, walls have collapsed, power poles are down, trees have been uprooted." — Michel, a Toamasina resident, via AP

How each outlet framed it

• AP — the storm's path about 100km north of the capital, Antananarivo, and the earlier Cyclone Fytia, which killed 14 people on 31 January.
• Africanews — the scale of the damage and Colonel Michael Randrianirina's call for "international solidarity".
• The Citizen — the Tanzanian paper, carrying Reuters, followed the storm as it looped back toward Madagascar.

Where the numbers differ: AP gave Toamasina's population as about 300,000; Africanews said about 400,000.

What happened next: by 16 February, Reuters (via The Citizen) reported at least 59 dead and more than 16,000 displaced, with a second landfall expected in south-western Madagascar.