Cyclone kills 69 in Madagascar

A cyclone that swept across Madagascar last week killed at least 69 people and made tens of thousands homeless in the north of…

A cyclone that swept across Madagascar last week killed at least 69 people and made tens of thousands homeless in the north of the Indian Ocean island.

The government's disaster management agency said it had confirmed 69 deaths, with two other people missing after Cyclone Indlala struck on March 15th.

The storm wiped out 3,619 houses, plus dozens of government buildings, schools and bridges. It also destroyed 8,280 hectares of paddyfields.

In northern Ambanja district, "a whole mountain has collapsed, burying two villages under thousands of tonnes of rock and killing 20 people including six children in a school," a government spokesman said.

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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appealed today for €500,000 to help the stricken country.