Death Toll From Cyclone Freddy's Return Rises To 8 In Madagascar

INA-  Baghdad


The death toll from Cyclone Freddy's second coming to Madagascar climbed to eight on Tuesday, as the storm strengthened while moving towards Mozambique, authorities said.

The UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that Freddy, which began life off northwestern Australia in the first week in February, was set to become the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record.

Madagascar's government announced that more than 40,000 people have been affected and over 14,000 displaced since the storm returned to batter the island nation having followed an unusual path.

Meteorologists have described the cyclone's route as a "rare" loop trajectory -- a phenomena last recorded in 1998.

In total at least 15 people have died in Madagascar since Freddy struck the first time in late February, bringing strong winds and torrential rains.

One person remains missing and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed, the government said Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the cyclone was located in the Mozambique Channel about 250 kilometres (150 miles) northwest of the coastal city of Toliara, with wind gusts of up to 180 kph.

Rains in southwestern Madagascar were easing, as the storm strengthened but moved away from the Indian Ocean island towards Mozambique -- where it
is expected to make a second landfall later this
week.
At least 10 people were killed during Freddy's previous visit to the southern African country, according to the United Nations.
Freddy "does appear to be a new record holder for 'longest-lasting' recorded tropical cyclone."  said the WMO's Weather and Climate Extremes rapporteur Prof Randall Cerveny on Tuesday..
"But we are continuing to monitor the situation," he added.


Source: BARRON’s