At least ten people have been killed and 50,000 displaced after cyclone Batsirai brought strong winds and rains to Madagascar on Saturday evening.

The storm made landfall on the East Coast with gusts of 235 kilometres per hour or 146 mph and high-hitting coastal areas.

So far, Batsirai has been the second major storm to hit Madagascar within the space of two weeks.

A statement from the Meteorology Science Department revealed that Batsirai was classified as a dangerous storm that was expected to inflict significant and widespread damage, particularly flooding in the east, the southeast, and the central highlands.

Meanwhile, residents of Mananjary along with nearby towns of Manakara and Nosy Varika reported that the cyclone had caused widespread damage by blowing off roofs off homes, knocking down trees and utility roads, and also making roads impassable by flooding many areas.

Additionally, Risk and Disaster Management officer Jeremia Razafiharimanana also pointed out that the coastal town has been without electricity since Friday night.

Furthermore, the majority of Madagascar is already waterlogged from tropical storm Ana along with heavy rains that occurred in January.