Cyclone Garance slammed into the French overseas territory of La Reunion with top wind speeds of 155 kph (96 mph) on Friday, blowing away roofs and cutting power and access to drinking water for many residents.

Réunion island issued its highest level of threat warning as the French Indian Ocean territory braced for a direct hit by a cyclone packing gusts likely to exceed 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour).

Cyclone Garance, a category 3 cyclone carrying gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour winds, was on Friday deemed a "direct threat" to the Indian Ocean island La Reunion, placing it under "purple alert",

Authorities ordered all people on La Reunion island to stay indoors for several hours Friday as Cyclone Garance's fierce winds caused destruction across the French Indian Ocean territory. Winds of up to 230 kilometres (143 miles) per hour battered the territory of 900,

Tropical cyclone Garance made landfall on the French Indian Ocean territory of Réunion on Friday, packing gusts of 166 kilometers (103 miles) per hour.

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,