Around 7000 people were affected by the devastation caused by the cyclone, which reached the north of the island on Wednesday, the National Authority for Civil Protection said on Thursday.

The cyclone moved across the island with an average wind speed of 150km/h and heavy rainfall. In some places, winds of 210km/h were measured.

The disaster authority said hundreds of houses, roads and bridges were flooded or destroyed in northern Madagascar. The full extent of the damage is still unclear, because many villages in the region were cut off from the rest of the country, making access difficult for rescue teams.

The nation of around 30 million people, which lies in the Indian Ocean, is regularly affected by severe weather.

A year ago, tropical storm Freddy devastated Madagascar as well as the neighbouring mainland countries of Mozambique and Malawi. More than 500 people were killed.

Australian Associated Press