Madagascar Cyclone Death Toll Reaches 59
Last update: February 16, 2026
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Flooding and powerful winds leave thousands displaced as search efforts continue.
Flooding and fierce winds from Cyclone Gezani have pushed Madagascar’s death toll to 59, with more than a dozen people still missing, the country’s disaster management agency said on Monday.
The storm is the latest in a series of tropical systems to batter the southern African island in recent months, highlighting its vulnerability to increasingly extreme weather linked to climate change.
At least 59 people were killed nationwide after the cyclone made landfall on February 10, according to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management. More than 16,000 residents have been displaced by rising floodwaters.
A previous assessment had put the death toll at 43.
Most fatalities were recorded in the eastern port city of Toamasina, formerly known as Tamatave, the country’s second largest city with a population of about 400,000.
Authorities said 15 people remain unaccounted for nearly a week after the storm struck.
Damage to homes and infrastructure has been severe. Around 25,000 houses were destroyed, 27,000 flooded and more than 200 classrooms were partially or completely damaged.
CBI News reports that Cyclone Gezani hit with winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, prompting the government to declare a national emergency.
Images from Toamasina showed widespread destruction, with parts of the city centre still submerged in muddy water and debris scattered between damaged homes and closed shops.
Residents lined up for food at a primary school converted into a relief centre, while health workers screened families for malaria as cleanup operations began.
The World Food Programme warned that the scale of destruction was overwhelming, noting that the city was operating on about five percent of its electricity supply and had no access to running water.
China and France have provided assistance for search and rescue operations.
The cyclone caused limited damage in neighbouring Mozambique, passing about 50 kilometres offshore. Authorities there reported at least four deaths.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday offered condolences and prayers for the people of Madagascar, noting that the country had been struck by two cyclones in quick succession.
Earlier in February, Tropical Cyclone Fytia hit northwestern Madagascar, killing at least seven people and displacing more than 20,000.
