Mauritius International Airport has been closed following a class 3 cyclone alert as Cyclone Garance approaches the island.

Cyclone Garance, a category 3 cyclone carrying gusts of up to 70 kilometers an hour, was on Thursday deemed a "direct threat" to the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and La Reunion, placing both countries on high alert and prompting a race to stockpile of essentials.

Tropical cyclone Garance intensifies as it approaches Reunion Island, prompting severe weather warnings, while tropical storm Honde poses additional threats to Madagascar.

Residents of the Indian Ocean islands Mauritius and La Reunion rushed to stockpile essential items on Thursday, as Cyclone Garance approached the two territories. The storm, which is expected to pass 50 kilometers from La Reunion's shores,

More than 180,000 households face power outages as cyclone wreaks havoc on the Indian Ocean island, authorities report.

At least three people died when cyclone Garance slammed into the French overseas territory of La Reunion on Friday with wind speeds of up to 155 kph (96 mph), Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said. The cyclone made landfall in the north of the Indian Ocean island,

Cyclone Garance killed at least four people on France's Reunion Island authorities said on Saturday. The deadly storm hit the island early Friday triggering flash floods, mudslides and electrical storms and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to water or electricity.