At least 20 people have died after a powerful cyclone hit the southern African island nation of Madagascar, the country's disaster management authority said.

The cyclone caused widespread damage, destroying homes, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines, according to Madagascar's disaster management office.

The severe storm forecast center on the neighboring French island of Reunion told Agence France-Presse that the disaster was the worst of similar disasters that have hit the island in recent times.

In addition to the deaths, many people were injured and evacuated from the city, which is home to about 400,000 people, and 90 percent of the roofs of houses were blown off by the winds.

The current disaster is the second in a month, after the previous storm killed 14 people and displaced more than 31,000, according to the United Nations.