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Cyclone Enawa kills 38 people in Madagascar

Residents cross flooded land and canal in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo, on Friday, March 10, 2017, to collect fresh water. Cyclone Enawo hit land Tuesday, claiming the lives of at least five people and forcing some 10,000 people abandon their homes because of storm damage. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

At least 38 people have been killed by Cyclone Enawo that struck Madagascar this week, according to an official of the country’s disaster management department.

“The damage is enormous wherever the cyclone has gone,” Thierry Venty, executive secretary of the National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management, said late on Friday on national television.

He said 38 people had been killed countrywide by the cyclone, including a family who died in a landslide, while an estimated 153,000 people have been displaced by storm waters.

WATCH: ISS captures orbital view of Tropical Cyclone Enawo

Click to play video: 'ISS captures orbital view of Tropical Cyclone Enawo'
ISS captures orbital view of Tropical Cyclone Enawo

Enawo hit Madagascar‘s vanilla-producing northeastern coast on Tuesday morning, destroying roads and cutting off communications with Antalaha district, which has a population of 230,000 people.

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More than 116,000 people have been directly affected by the cyclone, but Venty did not say how many of those were displaced or had their property damaged.

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Late on Thursday, the meteorological office said the cyclone’s power had “significantly weakened” according to a bulletin from the country’s meteorological office, with the storm moving at speeds of 45-50 kilometres per hour.

Trees are lashed by strong winds in Sambava, Madagascar Tuesday, March 7, 2017 as heavy rains and strong winds from a cyclone hit northeast Madagascar, raising concerns about flooding and landslides. Aid workers were on alert as Cyclone Enawo lashed the coastline. AP Photo/Manny Horsford

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