Madagascar: Cyclone Batsirai kills 20 but quickly weakens on land

Cyclone Batsirai is blamed for the deaths of 20 people in Madagascar and for making more than 55,000 people homeless victims after slamming into the island’s eastern coast, officials said.

The tropical storm weakened quickly as it moved southwest across the island, missing the capital Antananarivo and posing little risk apart to other areas except for heavy rainfall, the national meteorological department said.

Batsirai, southern Africa s second big cyclone this year, is forecast to dissipate further as it exits Madagascar and should not pose a serious risk to Mozambique said the weather department.

Sign up to our newsletters here