Cyclone Freddy kills four in Madagascar

Authorities in Madagascar have announced that the passage of powerful tropical cyclone Freddy resulted in four dead.

The storm affected some 16,600 people according to the country's National Risk Management Office.

The powerful gusts of wind reached around 130 kilometres per hour; contrary to last year's cyclone Batsirai, cyclone Freddy did not bring as much rain as expected.

Freddy is the first cyclone and the second tropical weather system to hit Madagascar during the current season according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

After Madagascar, the cyclone is now heading to Mozambique and Zimbabwe on the African mainland.

Last year's Cyclone Batsirai killed more than 130 people across Madagascar.