Cyclone kills 20 in Madagascar but quickly weakens on land

By LAETITIA BEZAIN
Associated Press

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Officials in Madagascar say that Cyclone Batsirai has caused the deaths of 20 people and made more than 55,000 others homeless after slamming into the island’s eastern coast. The national meteorological department said Monday that the tropical storm weakened quickly after hitting Madagascar late Saturday and then moving southwest across the island. The storm missed the capital Antananarivo and posed little risk to other parts of the island apart from heavy rainfall. Weather experts said Batsirai, southern Africa’s second big cyclone this year, is forecast to dissipate further as it exits Madagascar and should not pose a serious risk to Mozambique.