Category: Madagascar

Cyclone Batsirai Blows Across Indian Ocean Toward Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar—The full force of Cyclone Batsirai is forecast to hit Madagascar Saturday evening, according to weather officials. The cyclone is gaining strength as it blows across the Indian Ocean, with gale-force winds reaching peaks of 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour, according to the island’s meteorology department. “Following its slow and quite variable movement,…


Heavy Rains in Madagascar Cause Flooding in Capital, 10 Dead

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar—Heavy rains in Madagascar have flooded parts of the capital city, Antananarivo, killing 10 people and making more than 12,000 homeless, officials said Wednesday. With the rains continuing and a possible cyclone approaching the Indian Ocean island, officials warned of potential landslides in the capital city, which is built on steep hills. President Andry…


Ship Sinks Off Madagascar Coast: 17 Dead and 68 Missing

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar—A cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off Madagascar’s northeastern coast, killing at least 17 people and leaving 68 missing, officials said Monday. At least 45 people have been rescued from the waters of the Indian Ocean, according to a report from the Maritime and River Port Agency. The ship, Francia, had left…


French Citizen Among Six Held Over Plan to Kill Madagascar President: Minister

ANTANANARIVO—A French citizen is among six people arrested on suspicion of involvement in a plot to kill Madagascar’s president, the Indian Ocean island’s public security minister said, and a second official said the president’s security had been tightened. “One of the arrested people is French, two of them are bi-national—Malagasy and French. The three others…


Madagascar Police Arrest 6 Over Alleged Plot to Kill President

ANTANANARIVO—Police in Madagascar this week arrested six people, including one foreign citizen, suspected of plotting to kill the president following what officials in the Indian Ocean island nation said was a months-long investigation. Madagascar has a history of political violence. Former coup leader Andry Rajoelina, 44, was sworn in as president in 2019 after a…