Cyclone Garance hits French Indian Ocean island of Reunion; police report 3 deaths

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PARIS (AP) — French police said at least three people were killed when a tropical storm packing fierce winds and torrential rains thumped the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion on Friday.

Residents were ordered to stay at home as Tropical Cyclone Garance brought heavy rain and winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), causing floods, power cuts and damage to buildings.

France’s national police force confirmed three fatalities but said it had no details about the circumstances.

Authorities said 847 people sought refuge in emergency shelters and 54 were evacuated due to the risk of flooding or landslides.

About 182,000 people were without power and 171,000 lost access to drinking water, the authorities said.

Officials said strong winds ripped off roofs, doors, and windows of many buildings. Tarpaulins were being sent to the hardest-hit areas to provide shelter in the eastern part of the island.

Authorities lifted the purple cyclone warning, the highest level, on Friday morning, allowing rescue services to begin operations. However, the island remained under a red warning, with residents requested to stay indoors as heavy rain and strong winds were expected to persist throughout the day.

National weather agency Meteo France said winds reaching 214 kilometers per hour were recorded at the island’s main airport.

Reunion island is located about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) to the southeast of the French territory of Mayotte, an island group off Africa, which was hit in December by the worst cyclone in nearly a century, with widespread devastation left in its wake.

Local authorities have confirmed 40 deaths from Cyclone Chido’s landfall and 41 people missing or believed to have been buried, but fear more may be dead.