PORT LOUIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Mauritius on Monday
grounded flights and shut its stock exchange as Tropical Cyclone
Freddy approached, posing a "direct threat" to the Indian Ocean
island.
A Class III cyclone warning was in force in Mauritius,
allowing about six hours of daylight before the occurrence of
wind gusts of 120 kilometres per hour.
Mauritius, along with other Indian Ocean countries like
Madagascar and African coastal nations like Mozambique, is
regularly affected by severe storms and cyclones capable of
destroying homes, infrastructure and crops.
Its weather service said in a bulletin issued at 1010 local
time (0610 GMT) that at its closest distance, Freddy may pass at
about 120 km (75 miles) to the north-northwest of the island
late in the afternoon, saying it represented a direct threat.
"As Freddy approaches Mauritius, (a) storm surge is likely
to cause coastal inundation in risk areas. It is, therefore,
strictly advised not to go at sea," the bulletin said.
(Reporting by Villen Anganan; Writing by George Obulutsa;
Editing by Alexander Winning and Bernadette Baum)
george.obulutsa.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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