Tropical Cyclone Ava: Week after impact, death toll soars to 51 in Madagascar; over 54,000 still displaced

Antananarivo: The death toll from a cyclone that hit Madagascar about 10 days ago has risen to 51, with another 22 people reported missing, authorities said on Sunday. [caption id=“attachment_3496367” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty Images.[/caption] Tropical Cyclone Ava passed through Madagascar on 5-6 January, hitting mostly the eastern coast of the island with wind speeds of between 140-190 kph (87-119 mph). The death toll had been put at about 29 people a week ago. The National Office of Risk and Disaster Management said in a statement on Sunday more 54,000 people were displaced by the cyclone. In March 2017, Cyclone Enawo killed at least 78 people on Madagascar’s vanilla-producing northeastern coast.