MAURITIUS: A tropical storm that had pounded the French overseas region of Reunion was closing in on the island country of Mauritius on Monday, causing severe floods.
Pictures that surfaced on local media showed a number of cars in Port Louis, the capital, either stacked up on the roadway or completely drowned in a brown stream of water when the city was being battered by torrential rains.
Authorities in Mauritius have issued a warning, stating that Cyclone Belal poses a “threat” to the isolated paradise island and has already resulted in one death in Reunion.
While banks, government buildings, and other private companies closed and sent their employees home, the international airport declared it would be closed from 4:30 pm (1230 GMT) until further notice.
A class 3 cyclone warning, out of a possible four, is currently in effect, according to a statement from the Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS). The public is advised to stay indoors, as “torrential rain conditions” are predicted for the next few hours.
According to the report, Belal was traveling east-southeast at a speed of roughly 14 kilometers per hour at 4:00 pm, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) west-southwest of Le Morne, which is located on the southwest side of the island.
“On this trajectory, Belal is dangerously approaching Mauritius and it represents a threat for Mauritius,” MMS stated.
Rains, according to an AFP correspondent, have wreaked havoc in Port Louis and other places, such as St Jean, which lies south of the city.
“There was a great deal of concern today when the administration shuttered offices at 12:30 pm. A bank worker going by the first name Rouben remarked, “Many people could not find their cars.
The 50-year-old claimed, “My car was carried away 500 meters by rainwater.”
“This is the first time in my life that I’ve seen this.”
Schools and other academic institutions will be closed on Tuesday, according to the ministry of education.
“The radius of cyclonic winds is likely to cross the southern part of the island and Belal is expected to pass at its closest distance of 70 km to the south of the island early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” according to the MMS.
