Russia Sends Vital Humanitarian Aid to Madagascar

(MENAFN) Russia has dispatched essential relief supplies to Madagascar, delivering roughly 60 tons of food to assist with recovery efforts after the island nation was struck by two consecutive cyclones, according to reports.

Madagascar faced severe weather last month when Cyclones Gezani and Fytia hit in rapid succession. Fytia made landfall on January 31, bringing heavy floods to the northwest and central highlands, resulting in at least 14 fatalities and displacing more than 31,000 people.

Gezani then struck the eastern coast near Toamasina, the country’s primary port, on February 10, wreaking havoc on nearly 90% of the infrastructure. The storm killed at least 59 people and left hundreds of thousands without shelter or access to clean water, prompting the government to declare a national state of emergency on February 14.

On February 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with Madagascar during talks in Moscow with the country’s interim president, Michael Randrianirina, and instructed the Defense and Emergency Situations Ministries to coordinate aid efforts.

The relief shipment was officially handed over at Antananarivo International Airport on February 27. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations provided 60 tons of essential food items, including 30 tons of rice, 16 tons of red beans, and 13 tons of vegetable oil.

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