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As cyclone Jade continues its destructive path down Madagascar's east coast, initial assessments indicate that eight people have lost their lives and over 1,200 have been affected.
"This number will go higher because of floods in many parts of the regions [in the cyclone's path]," Dia Styvanley Soa, spokeswoman for the national disaster response agency (BNGRC), told IRIN.
Jane made landfall on 6 April in the northeast of the Indian Ocean Island and is forecast to continue heading south off eastern Madagascar through 9 April.
Increasingly heavy rainfall associated with the storm has raised the threat of possible severe flooding. Soa was expecting more detailed assessments of the storm damage and flooding, but warned that "for sure, BNGRC will need partners' help" to mount an effective response to the disaster.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions