01-03-2025
Deadly cyclone Garance kills at least four on France's Reunion Island
Cyclone Garance killed at least four people on France's Reunion Island authorities said on Saturday. The deadly storm hit the island early Friday triggering flash floods, mudslides and electrical storms and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to water or electricity.
French authorities said Saturday that at least four people died in Cyclone Garance's devastating crossing of the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.
The body of a man was found trapped under one of thousands of trees ripped up by winds of up to 230 kilometres (143 miles) per hour that tore across the island of some 900,000 people on Friday, authorities said giving the new toll.
The other victims, two women and a man, were carried away by flash floods, trapped in a mudslide or killed by an electrical fire sparked by the storm, according to the prefecture.
More than 180,000 people were left without electricity and more than 170,000 without water, authorities said.
The island's international airport was to reopen late Saturday.
The nearby tourist island of Mauritius shut its main airport on Wednesday, while Reunion shut down to flights on Thursday.
Watch moreCyclone Garance threatens Mauritius, Reunion Island
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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