Madagascar-A.P.B
The death toll from the cyclone “Batsirai”, which receded from Madagascar, on Monday, rose to 92 dead, according to a new toll announced by the authorities, Wednesday, and could continue to rise; some villages in the most affected areas are still isolated.
The National Bureau of risk and Disaster Management, which counts casualties in the hardest-hit areas, especially on the island’s East Coast in the Indian Ocean, said the toll rose from thirty dead on Tuesday evening to 92, including 71 in ikongo province in the said region.
The country counted more than 112 thousand people and about 61 thousand displaced people, while non-governmental organizations and UN agencies began to deploy capabilities and teams to help the victims of these heavy rains and high winds.
Tropical cyclone Batsirai hit Madagascar on Sunday night and affected a coastal agricultural area stretching along a length of 150 km, and sparsely populated, before heading west into the country, causing flooding in rivers that destroyed rice fields “reservoir” Madagascar, raising fears of a deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
Pasqualina deserio, WFP director in the country, said: “rice fields have been damaged and crops have been lost. “It is the main agriculture of the people of Madagascar and their food security will be affected tremendously in the next three to six months unless we act immediately,” he said. The United Nations agency distributed hot meals, particularly in manakara, one of the worst affected areas. In addition to government assistance, several NGOs, including Action Against Hunger, Handicap International, Save the children and doctors of the world, distributed household supplies, food and hygiene products.