Following the passage of strong tropical storm Batsirai on Saturday and Sunday, the Office of Risk and Disaster Management in Madagascar reported a total of 20 deaths on Monday.

In Madagascar, a multi-sectoral aerial assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone Batsirai began on Monday. More than 69,000 people have been displaced as a result of the cyclone, according to the most recent estimates.

Batsirai, a strong tropical cyclone, made landfall in Madagascar on Saturday evening, with the precise position being tracked at 14 kilometres north of Mananjary, 535 kilometres southeast of the capital Antananarivo. Batsirai travelled from east to west throughout the country before heading out to sea in the Mozambique Channel on Sunday. More landslides and rising river and canal levels are expected to force 150,000 people to flee their homes.

"Not only have the floods and terrible weather ruined homes and property, but they have also decimated the livelihoods and sources of income of the affected families," said Pasqualina Di Sirio, a World Food Programme (WFP) representative in Madagascar. "In the absence of immediate assistance, the living conditions of affected families, who are presently in a position of complete poverty, will deteriorate until their situation returns to normal."

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