Four dead as Cyclone Garance wrecks France's La Reunion island
The cyclone struck on Friday, making landfall in the north of the Indian Ocean island east of Madagascar, blowing away roofs and cutting power and access to drinking water for many residents.
It exited the southwest of the island several hours later, French weather office Meteo-France said, adding that the worst of the storm had passed.
A red alert, ordering the population to stay indoors, was lifted on Saturday morning after Garance was downgraded to a severe tropical storm.
The body of a man was found trapped under a tree in the capital, Saint-Denis, authorities said on Saturday.
The other victims, two women and a man, were carried away by flash floods, trapped in a mudslide or killed by an electrical fire, authorities said on Friday.
Around 160,000 people were still without electricity, while more than 950 were staying in temporary accommodation centres on Saturday.
More than 310,000 residents had no access to drinking water and nearly 140,000 were without internet access.
Patrice Latron, the central government representative on the island, said 'a lot of work' would be needed, with many roads blocked by fallen trees.
'Roads are flooded, roads are cut off and some washed away,' he added.
During the passage of the cyclone on Friday, Meteo-France recorded winds of up to 230km (143 miles) per hour in Piton Sainte-Rose on the island's eastern coast.
'The cyclone is still a threat for the island, I call on all to follow local authorities' instructions,' French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on X on Friday. 'Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones who have been hit hard.'
The nearby tourist island of Mauritius shut its main airport on Wednesday, while La Reunion shut down flights on Thursday. Its international airport was to reopen late on Saturday.
'First time I've been afraid'
Residents said the force of the cyclone was frightening.
'This is the first time I've seen a cyclone this powerful, and also the first time I've been afraid,' Vincent Clain, 45, who lives in Sainte-Marie on the northern coast, told the AFP news agency.
He said the storm uprooted trees in his garden. 'I thought they would crash onto the house,' he said.
Clain, his wife, their son and dog hid in their kitchen, 'the safest area of the house'.
Aline Etheve, a resident of Sainte-Suzanne on the coast, said she was worried the roof of her house would collapse after the storm destroyed her garden fence.
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