Rescue services raised the number of people killed by Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar to 111, after identifying another 17 dead a week after the start of the storms on this island in the Indian Ocean.
Among the 111 people who died, 87 were found in the Ikongo district in the east, according to the National Office for Risk and Catastrophe Management (BNGRC).
About 18,000 people have been affected by the cyclone and more than 30,000 have had to flee their homes. In addition, thousands of houses were destroyed by the wind or suffered serious damage.
The cyclone hit the east coast of Madagascar on Saturday with wind gusts reaching 165 km/h, and left the island behind on Monday.
Madagascar had already been hit a week earlier by tropical storm Ana, which left 55 dead.
Rescue services have reached almost all the areas affected by the wind and rain.
The main concern now is access to drinking water. In fact, humanitarian organizations fear the spread of diarrheal diseases related to the consumption of contaminated water, which can lead to a resurgence of malaria.
Every year during the cyclone season (November to April), about ten storms or cyclones pass through the southwestern Indian Ocean.
