Storm Irina kills 72 in Madagascar

At least 72 people were killed when the tropical storm Irina hit northern Madagascar in late February, causing floods and landslides, authorities said yesterday.
Three people were also reported missing and some 77,911 displaced, said the National Office for Disaster and Risk Management. The storm destroyed 1,348 homes.
Irina passed through the country on February 26-27, mostly in the north of the island.
"The dead are either buried under the mud or have been washed away," Fanja Ratsimbazafy, secretary-general of the Madagascar Red Cross, told Reuters by phone.
According to the US space agency Nasa, as of Wednesday, Irina, with wind speeds close to 45 knots, was moving toward Mozambique, and was now about 552 miles east-southeast of capital Maputo.