Port Louis, Mauritius, Feb 2 (AFP/APP): Thousands of homes were left without power in Mauritius on Wednesday but the Indian Ocean island nation escaped without “major damage” from a battering by powerful cyclone winds.
Tropical cyclone Batsirai passed within 130 kilometers (80 miles) of the holiday paradise, bringing heavy downpours and winds of 120 kilometers per hour, with a peak of 151 kilometers per hour recorded in the capital Port Louis.
Life was brought to a standstill, with public transport cancelled, shops and banks shut, and air and sea travel halted.
At least 7,500 homes were without power after the winds knocked down trees onto electricity lines, according to the local electricity board.
The telephone network was also disrupted but there appeared to be little structural damage.
“Fortunately the cyclone did not pass directly over the island as feared. It passed some distance from the island and did not cause major damage,” Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said on national television.
“We will try to get the situation back to normal as soon as possible,” he added.
The reopening of schools, closed since November because of the spread of the Covid variant Omicron, could not take place as planned.
“All cyclone (warning) advisories will be lifted around 10 pm (1800 GMT),” said a statement from the weather service.
The French island of Reunion, which lies about 230 kilometers southwest of Mauritius, was on red alert for the likely passage of cyclone Batsirai overnight.
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