Death toll from Madagascar storm rises to 22

Death toll from Madagascar storm rises to 22
by AFP Staff Writers
Antananarivo (AFP) Jan 27, 2023

The death toll from a tropical storm that lashed parts of northeastern Madagascar last week has climbed to 22, the government's disaster management office announced Friday, revising its earlier tally.

Another 20 people are missing after the storm flooded several districts and cut roads linking them to the capital Antananarivo.

An updated tally sent to AFP by Faly Aritiana Fabien, a senior official at Madagascar's National Risk Management Office, showed that more than 59,100 people were affected by the floods, many of them displaced from their homes.

Storm Cheneso made landfall on January 19, packing winds of up to 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour and triggering downpours.

It is the first tropical storm of the current cyclone season in southern Africa, which typically runs from November to April.

Flooding triggers emergency in Auckland, washes out Elton John
Wellington (AFP) Jan 27, 2023 - A state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday after torrential rain caused widespread flooding in New Zealand's largest city, closing the airport and forcing the cancellation of an Elton John concert.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown told a news conference late on Friday he was "deeply saddened" after a body was found in a northern suburb. Police have not confirmed whether the death was a result of the flooding.

Flash floods turned many of Auckland's roads into rivers as the wild weather closed the city's airport, leaving some terminals ankle-deep in water.

Auckland airport, New Zealand's largest, confirmed there would be no domestic or international departures or arrivals before noon local time on Saturday.

New Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who was sworn in Wednesday after Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation, wrote on Twitter that government agencies were "working flat out" to help.

He said the national crisis management centre, housed under the parliament building in the capital Wellington, was helping coordinate the emergency response.

The persistent downpour also washed out Elton John's concert at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium amid concerns for crowd safety.

Emergency services were swamped by calls for help as civil defence officials warned residents to stay home.

Police also urged people to only contact emergency services if they were in "life-threatening" danger.

Brown said he would visit the worst-affected communities on Saturday to assess the damage and disruption as the clean-up begins.

"It'll be a major, major job," he said.