A tropical cyclone caused severe flooding in Mauritius on Monday, killing at least one person when a car was washed away by rising waters in the Indian Ocean island's capital and other parts of the country. The government announced that one motorcyclist was killed in an accident caused by flooding and issued a curfew.
The government ordered everyone to return to their homes and remain there, except for emergency personnel, medical workers, members of the security forces, and those in need of medical treatment.
Some people were evacuated as flooding from Tropical Cyclone Belar threatened their homes and other buildings. Schools were closed and hospitals were told to open only emergency departments.
Seychelles declares state of emergency over deadly floods and explosives warehouse explosion
The main airport has been closed and flights to and from the island nation of 1.2 million people have been canceled until further notice, the government said.
Mauritian newspaper Rexpress published a video of cars flowing through roads that looked more like rushing rivers in the capital Port Louis and other parts of the island. Images published by L'Express showed some people climbing onto the roofs of cars and clinging to them. Drivers who fled their cars were seen being pulled out of the floodwaters by others and evacuated to safety.
Even after some of the floodwaters receded, vehicles remained piled up, and some had overturned.
Water also entered buildings, flooding residences and office lobbies. The Central Bank of Mauritius building was reportedly flooded.
The government said in a statement that evacuations were being carried out.
Strong winds hit La Plaine-Saint-Paul in Réunion on January 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Louis Joly)
Berard has also previously affected the nearby French island of Réunion, where about a quarter of households were left without power after heavy rain and strong winds hit the island on Monday morning, according to the Réunion department.
Many people in Réunion lost internet and phone service, and water was cut off to tens of thousands of homes. French outpost authorities said the body of a homeless man had been found in Saint-Gilles on the island's west coast. The circumstances of his death were unknown.
Réunion had declared the highest storm alert level on Sunday as Berar approached. But the warning was lifted after the worst of the storm passed through Réunion on Monday afternoon and hurtled toward Mauritius, about 135 miles northeast.
The Mauritius National Crisis Committee ordered everyone to go home at 8pm local time. The curfew will last until noon Tuesday, it announced.
Mauritius' National Weather Service warned that the worst could still be ahead, with the eye of the typhoon still approaching Mauritius and expected to pass about 55 miles south of the island at its closest point early Tuesday morning. .
The Mauritius Meteorological Department said the island would feel the effects of the cyclone for “several hours”.
Cyclones are common in the Indian Ocean near southern Africa from January to March because ocean temperatures are warmest in the Southern Hemisphere. The hotter water becomes the fuel for the cyclone.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, making cyclones more frequent and rainier when they occur. Some climate scientists have identified a direct relationship between global warming and the intensity of some cyclones in the region.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2019, Cyclone Idai entered Africa from the Indian Ocean, killing more than 1,000 people and causing a humanitarian crisis in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The United Nations said it was one of the deadliest storms on record in the Southern Hemisphere.
