Mauritius yesterday raised a cyclone warning alert to maximum as powerful winds and rains from Tropical Storm Belal caused havoc in the Indian Ocean island nation.
The Mauritian government has ordered all inhabitants to stay indoors, but the meteorological service said the storm was moving eastward away from the remote island.
Belal has left thousands of people without power and numerous vehicles submerged under floodwaters caused by torrential rain or piled up on streets.
Photo: AFP
Police said the body of a motorcyclist was found on a flooded highway, the victim of a traffic accident.
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, in a statement on national television on Monday, confirmed one fatality.
Belal had already battered the French overseas territory of Reunion, leaving one person dead.
The international airport in Mauritius was closed on Monday until further notice and Air Mauritius announced that several flights scheduled for yesterday, including to France and South Africa, had been canceled.
In his address on Monday, Jugnauth criticized Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) and announced that its director had submitted his resignation.
“I have to admit that the country has had a difficult time because of Cyclone Belal,” he said, adding that all decisions made by the government had depended on information from MMS. “I am surprised that the arrival of the heavy rains was not anticipated by the weather services. I share the anger of many Mauritians. Those responsible will have to assume their responsibilities.”
The Mauritian government on Monday announced that a curfew would remain in force until noon yesterday, with only certain people, such as emergency workers, allowed to go outdoors.
The Central Electricity Board said 8,400 people in Mauritius, which has a population of almost 1.3 million, were without power.
MMS said in its update yesterday that gusts of up to about 120kph were pummeling the island, a magnet for tourists attracted by its stunning white beaches and crystal-clear waters.
It said cyclone warning 4, the maximum level, was in force, but that barometric pressure was rising, “indicating that Belal has already crossed at its closest distance from Mauritius.”
“However, the cyclonic winds associated with Belal are still influencing the island,” it said.
It warned of sea swells of up to 10m beyond the reefs.
“Storm surge will cause coastal inundation along low-lying coastal areas. It is strictly advised not to go out at sea and to avoid venturing along beaches,” the agency added.
About a dozen storms or cyclones occur each year in the southwest Indian Ocean during the November to April season.
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