The death toll from Cyclone Ivan in Madagascar has risen to 93 people, while the total number of homeless is 332,391, a statement from the National Office for Disaster and Risk Management said. The European Union has donated 6.8 million euros ($10.5 million) towards the estimated $36.5 million needed to aid victims of the cyclone.
Which hit the Indian Ocean island last month, the statement said late on Friday. Madagascar is prone to frequent cyclones and tropical storms, especially in the rainy season from February to May. A tropical storm, Jokwe, hit briefly the north of the island on Wednesday, destroying 44 houses.
The season's first cyclone, Cyclone Fame, killed at least 13 people. Scientists say rising sea temperatures linked to climate change are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of cyclones in the tropics over the coming decades, and some suspect they have already. Six cyclones struck Madagascar last year, killing at least a 150 people and destroying homes and crops in the island's worst season on record.
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