Hurricane Bilal kills three in Reunion

In Paris, the bodies of two people were found on Tuesday in Reunion. They were killed by Hurricane Bilal, which hit the French island located in the Indian Ocean on Monday, bringing the death toll from this hurricane to three.
The cyclone also struck Mauritius, raising its alert level to the highest level in the morning.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said, during a government questioning session, “We found two other bodies on Reunion Island, presumed to be of two people who did not accept transfer to a shelter center.”
On Monday, the body of another person was found in Saint-Guy, west of Reunion, during the first hours of the tropical cyclone passing over the island, which has 870,000 people.
Bilal then headed towards Mauritius, located about 200 kilometers to the northeast, which was hit by heavy rains and strong winds, killing at least one person.
After ordering residents to remain in their homes on Monday, the Mauritian government eased the restrictions imposed on Tuesday, while the National Meteorological Authority advised residents to “stay in safe places.” The island faced heavy rains and winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour.
Electricity was cut off for thousands of people on the tourist island, which has a population of 1.3 million, while a large number of cars were submerged in water.
In the capital, Port Louis, many cars stopped driving due to water entering them, while a number of them were swept away by the winds.
Police reported that the body of a motorcyclist who was involved in a traffic accident was found on a flooded highway.
Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, in a statement broadcast on national television on Monday, confirmed the death of one person. He criticized the Meteorological Authority for failing to predict the hurricane, announcing that its director had submitted his resignation.
He said, “I must admit that the country faced difficult moments due to Hurricane Bilal,” adding, “I was surprised that the Meteorological Authority did not mention in its climate forecasts that heavy rains would hit the island.”