Six people remain missing. Official statements indicate the storm hit the eastern coastal city with sustained winds of 250 km/h, flattening trees and tearing roofs from buildings.
The BNRGC reports that more than 18,000 homes were destroyed and 50,000 were damaged or flooded.
Up to 75 percent of Toamasina and its surrounding areas were affected, regional officials confirmed. Humanitarian teams worked overnight to clear roads blocked by debris, local sources report.
Assessments are continuing in the wider Atsinanana region, where the cyclone also caused significant disruption.
The storm weakened to a tropical depression after landfall but continued to move across the island until Wednesday night. Forecasters on Réunion island say it could re-intensify over the Mozambique Channel and may reach southern Mozambique by Friday evening. That region is already coping with heavy seasonal flooding.
Madagascar’s interim leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, called for international support on Thursday, stating the scale of damage exceeds local response capacity. Further details are expected as recovery teams reach isolated areas.
