Cyclone Batsirai death toll rises to 20 in Madagascar

Antananarivo, Feb 8 (IANS) A total of 20 deaths were recorded in Madagascar by the Office of Risk and Disaster Management, following the passage of intense tropical cyclone Batsirai last Saturday and Sunday.The multi-sectoral aerial assessment of the damage left by cyclone Batsirai began Monday in Madagascar. According to the latest estimation, more than 69,000 people have been displaced after the cyclone swept the country, Xinhua news agency reported.Intense tropical cyclone Batsirai made landfall Saturday evening in Madagascar, with the exact location being monitored at 14 km north of the town of Mananjary, 535 km southeast of the capital Antananarivo. Batsirai crossed the country from east to west before going out to sea on Sunday in the Mozambique Channel.It is estimated that 150,000 people could be displaced by further landslides and rising river and canal levels."The floods and bad weather have not only devastated homes and damaged property, but above all have destroyed the livelihoods and sources of income of the affected families," said Pasqualina Di Sirio, the World Food Programme (WFP) representative in Madagascar. "Affected families, currently in a state of total destitution, will see their living conditions deteriorate in the absence of urgent assistance until their situation returns to normal."
--IANS int/khz/

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