Cyclone Death Toll Rises to Four on Devastated French Island

SAINT-DENIS DE LA RÉUNION, 1 March 2025 (BSS/AFP) – At least four people have died as a result of Cyclone Garance’s destructive passage over the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, French authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The body of a man was discovered trapped beneath one of the thousands of trees uprooted by ferocious winds reaching speeds of up to 230 kilometres per hour (143 miles per hour) that battered the island, home to approximately 900,000 people, on Friday.

The other victims—two women and a man—lost their lives in separate incidents. One was swept away by flash floods, another became trapped in a mudslide, and the third was killed in an electrical fire triggered by the storm, according to the local prefecture.

The cyclone caused widespread disruption, leaving more than 180,000 residents without electricity and over 170,000 without access to water.

Flights were severely impacted, with the island’s international airport set to reopen late on Saturday. In anticipation of the storm’s impact, the neighbouring tourist island of Mauritius had shut its main airport on Wednesday, followed by La Réunion suspending flights on Thursday.

In response to the crisis, the French government has announced the deployment of around 200 firefighters and civil aid workers from Mayotte—a French overseas territory nearly 1,500 kilometres away—as well as from mainland France. Military troops have also been placed on standby.

Residents took to social media to share images of the devastation, showing uprooted trees, collapsed roofs, and homes submerged in floodwaters. Entire streets were inundated, and vehicles were swept away by powerful currents.

Patrice Latron, the French government’s representative on the island, described the scale of the destruction, stating that “a lot of work” would be required to clear the blocked roads and restore infrastructure.

“Roads are flooded, some are completely impassable, and others have been washed away. Bridges have collapsed,” he said.

Cyclone Garance has been described as even more severe than Cyclone Belal, which struck La Réunion in January 2024 and also claimed four lives.

Additional Context

La Réunion, an overseas department of France, is frequently exposed to cyclones during the annual cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean. The island’s rugged volcanic terrain increases the risk of landslides and flash floods, making extreme weather events particularly hazardous. The French government has historically provided significant disaster relief efforts to the region, but with climate change intensifying storms, concerns over infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness remain at the forefront.

Authorities continue to assess the full extent of the damage as emergency response teams work to restore essential services and provide aid to affected communities.