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).

The territory located in the Indian Ocean has confined its 900,000 inhabitants due to the imminent impact of the powerful Cyclone Garance, which is approaching with winds of over 200 km/h.

Winds of up to 230 kilometers per hour battered the French Indian Ocean territory of 900,000 people. The storm earlier forced the closure of the main airport on nearby Mauritius.