Hundreds of women wash their clothes in a river in Madagascar on Oct. 25, 2013.
At least 49 people died after a tropical storm tore through the island nation of Madagascar this weekend, the National Office for Disaster Management told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Chedza swept across the Indian Ocean beginning Jan. 16, forcing 42,000 people to abandon their homes.
The storm was preceded by about a week of heavy rains.
Many of the deaths were the result of building collapses and landslides, said the National Office of Risk and Catastrophe Management told the AP. Powerful winds ripped the roofs off of buildings.
The capital saw significant flooding and the government had to set up emergency shelters, the AP reported.