Cyclone Batsirai’s high winds and rain pound Madagascar

By LAETITIA BEZAIN
Associated Press

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — The full force of Cyclone Batsirai pounded Madagascar’s eastern coast with torrential winds and rain Saturday night. The center of the tropical storm landed near Mananjary, on the east coast, and moved inland across the island. Madagascar’s meteorology department said the cyclone gained strength as blew across the Indian Ocean, with gale-force winds reaching peaks of 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour. Batsirai, which means help in the Shona language, is classified as a dangerous storm and the weather department warned that it could inflict “significant and widespread damage, particularly flooding in the east, the southeast and the central highlands.”