Cyclone Gezani kills four in Mozambique as Madagascar assesses damage

Powerful storm batters Mozambique’s Inhambane a day after killing at least 41 people in Madagascar.Published On 15 Feb 2026Cyclone Gezani has hit Mozambique’s southern coastal province of Inhambane, killing at least four people, according to officials.The toll in Mozambique on Saturday came a day after the cyclone tore through Madagascar, killing at least 41 people and leaving a trail of destruction across the island.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Are African ‘water wars’ on the horizon as AU puts the issue on its agenda?list 2 of 4Madagascar cyclone death toll hits 40, 16,000 displaced; Mozambique braceslist 3 of 4Cyclone slams into Madagascar, killing at least 20 peoplelist 4 of 4‘Monstrous’: Cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar, leaving at least 31 deadend of listThe AFP news agency, citing meteorologists, said the storm lashed Inhambane with winds of up to 215km per hour (134mph).It brought down trees and power lines, leaving more than 13,000 people without power, the national electric company said.Water supplies were also cut off in several districts of the city of Inhambane.The city is home to some 100,000 people.Mozambique has been hit by frequent weather-related disasters that ‌scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.The Southern African country is only just recovering from severe flooding that affected more than 700,000 people and damaged more than 170,000 homes in recent weeks, according to the United Nations Office for the ⁠Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.In Madagascar, the government declared a national emergency and said the storm had caused an estimated $142m in damage.In addition to the deaths, at least 427 people were injured, and some 16,300 were displaced, according to officials.The eye of the cyclone passed on Tuesday over Madagascar’s second-largest city, Toamasina, which has a population of 400,000, leaving it devastated.The Indian Ocean island’s leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said about 75 percent of the city had been destroyed.