Four dead as Cyclone Garance wrecks France's La Reunion island
At least four people have been killed as Cyclone Garance struck the French overseas territory of La Reunion island, authorities said.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Magnitude 6.3 earthquake shakes Colombia's capital Bogota
A powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake has shaken the Colombian capital of Bogota, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS reported on Sunday morning that the quake struck near the city of Paratebueno in central Colombia, about 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of Bogota. Reporters of the AFP news agency on the ground said buildings shook and sirens sounded around Bogota as people rushed out onto the streets for safety. People gathered in parks and outside buildings in their pyjamas as parents tried to calm frightened children while others searched for pets that had run away during the tremor. One elderly woman told AFP that the shake was 'very strong' as she made her way down several flights of steps. The Mayor of Bogota, Carlos Galan, wrote on X that no one was injured in the earthquake, according to preliminary reports. 'At this time, one person is being treated for an anxiety attack and is being transferred to the Central Hospital. So far, minor structural damage and some power outages have been reported, but service has already been restored,' Galan added. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), however, said it was a magnitude 6.5 earthquake, with the epicentre at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles). Central Colombia, a zone of high seismic activity, has experienced a similar earthquake before, which was recorded as a 6.2 magnitude quake in 1999, claiming nearly 1,200 lives.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Colombia shakes capital Bogota
A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake has shaken the Colombian capital of Bogota, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). AFP news agency reporters on the ground reported on Sunday that buildings shook and sirens sounded around Bogota as people rushed out onto the streets for safety. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said it was a 6.5 magnitude quake at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles). More to follow.
Al Jazeera
06-04-2025
- Al Jazeera
Rains add to misery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises to 3,471
Heavy rains have lashed parts of earthquake-hit Myanmar, complicating relief efforts and raising the risk of disease as the death toll from the powerful quakes that struck the country on March 28 rose to at least 3,471. Aid workers in the hard-hit city of Mandalay, near the epicentre of the earthquake, said on Sunday that rains and winds hit tent camps in the area overnight and in the morning, soaking survivors and their belongings. More bouts of rain were expected later in the day, while temperatures were also forecast to climb to 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit). 'The weather is very extreme,' Tun Tun, a specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, told the AFP news agency. Aid agencies have warned the combination of unseasonable rains and extreme heat could cause outbreaks of disease, including cholera, among quake survivors, who are camping in the open. Rainfall hits Sagaing on April 6 Rain poured down again in Sagaing at around 6 am on April 6. On the evening of April 5, unseasonal rain fell in Sagaing, Mandalay and Kyaukse towns, causing further difficulties for earthquake victims on the roads. — Eleven Myanmar (@ElevenMyanmar) April 6, 2025The magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit a wide swath of Myanmar, home to 50 million people, causing significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital, Naypyidaw. It left many areas without power, telephone or mobile phone connections, and damaged roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess. It also worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis triggered by the country's civil war that has internally displaced more than three million people and left nearly 20 million in need, according to the UN. State media in the military-led country now say the earthquake has caused 3,471 deaths and injured 4,671 people, while 214 remain missing. It has damaged some 5,223 buildings, 1,824 schools, 4,817 pagodas and temples, 167 hospitals and clinics, 169 bridges, 198 dams and 184 sections of the country's main highway. Damage has been particularly severe in the city of Sagaing near the epicentre, as well as in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher, who is in Mandalay, described the scale of the damage as 'epic' and said survivors, who are 'traumatised and fearful', need food, water, shelter and electricity urgently. In a video posted to X, Fletcher noted the quake had brought devastation to communities that were already in crisis. 'It's a compounding crisis,' he said. 'It's earthquake, on top of conflict, on top of huge existing need.' He noted that aftershocks continued in the region more than a week after the earthquake. The United States Geological Survey said a magnitude 4.7 quake struck south of Mandalay late on Friday. A week after Mandalay earthquake, with devastating damage and aftershocks strong, this is a traumatised and fearful community. We are determined to save survivors and help them rebuild: we need the world to share that commitment. — Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) April 6, 2025Though Myanmar's military government, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a coup in February 2021 overthrowing the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, declared a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that the army was restricting aid in areas that did not back its rule. The UN agency also said it was investigating reported military attacks against opponents, including after the ceasefire. Free Burma Rangers, a relief group, told the Reuters news agency on Saturday that the military had dropped bombs in Karenni and Shan states on Thursday and Friday despite the ceasefire announcement, killing at least five people. The victims included civilians, according to the group's founder, David Eubank, who said there had been at least seven such military attacks since the ceasefire. There was no immediate comment from the military on the allegations. Myanmar's neighbours, such as China, India and Southeast Asian nations, have dispatched relief supplies and rescuers over the past week to the country, while the US – which was until recently the world's top humanitarian donor – has pledged at least $9m to support earthquake-affected communities. Current and former US officials say the dismantling of the country's foreign aid programme has affected its response. Three US Agency for International Development workers who had travelled to Myanmar after the quake were told they were being let go, Marcia Wong, a former senior USAID official, told Reuters. 'This team is working incredibly hard, focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination – how can that not be demoralising?' Wong said. The three USAID workers have been sleeping on the streets in the earthquake zone, Wong said, adding that their terminations would take effect in a few months. In neighbouring Thailand, meanwhile, authorities said the country's death toll from the quake had risen to 24. Of those, 17 died at the site of an under-construction skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok. Another 77 are still missing.
