Coastal Storm Surge Floods Fishing Village in Madagascar, Killing Three, Washing Away Boats, Homes, Nets

Antananarivo, Madagascar— A coastal storm surge flooded a fishing village on Madagascar's western coast Thursday, killing three people and washing away homes, boats, and fishing gear that families depend on to survive.

The surge hit at high tide around 4 a.m. local time in Boeny region, near the town of Mahajanga, according to local officials and Agence France-Presse. Strong onshore winds pushed seawater more than 300 meters inland, catching the village while most residents slept in low, wooden houses built on sand. Water rose to chest height in minutes.

Three deaths were confirmed by afternoon, including a 65-year-old fisherman and two children, who drowned after being trapped inside a house that collapsed. Ten others were treated for injuries. More than 60 houses were damaged or destroyed, and at least 18 fishing pirogues were smashed or carried inland. Nets, engines, and stored catch were lost.

"We woke up in water, everything floating," a village elder told local radio. "The sea came into the houses. We tried to save the children, but the current was too strong."

Madagascar's western coast is exposed to surge events during the transitional season when low-pressure systems in the Mozambique Channel generate long-fetch winds. This surge coincided with a spring tide, amplifying the water level. The meteorology service said it had issued a strong wind advisory, but not a surge warning specific to this stretch of coast.

The village is one of dozens along this coastline where houses sit within meters of the waterline because land tenure pushes fishing families onto marginal, flood-prone strips. No seawall exists. Mangroves that once buffered surges were cut for charcoal in recent years. That loss was visible Thursday, with open sand where roots should have held.

Disaster officials said 250 people were displaced and moved to a school building on higher ground. Aid was limited to rice and tarps. The road to Mahajanga was cut by flooding, delaying delivery of clean water. The district said it needed boats to assess damage in neighboring hamlets that were also reported flooded.

Fishing is the sole income for most families here. With boats destroyed and nets lost, recovery will take months, if it happens at all. Regional fisheries officers said they would try to document losses for compensation, but no formal insurance exists.

Forecasters warned that strong winds would persist through Friday, with another high tide expected at dawn.

Villagers spent the night in the school, listening to the sea.

The water had not fully receded.