Antananarivo - The Indian Ocean island of Madagascar was being attacked by two tropical cyclones arriving from opposite directions Tuesday.

Tropical cyclone Eric made landfall on Monday in the eastern Fenerive-Est region of the world's fourth-largest island at wind speeds of around 100 kilometres per hour, local media reported Tuesday.

Government buildings, schools and shops in the area remained closed Monday and power supplies were deliberately suspended for safety reasons until the storm had passed.

There were no reports yet of major damage or injuries.

At the same time, the west was bracing for the arrival of tropical cyclone Fanele. Heavy rains had already begun to fall over the north as the cyclone moved southwards, causing widespread flooding that left close to 250 people homeless in the Sofia region.

The national meteorological institute said the cyclone, which brought wind gusts of up to 130 km/h on Monday was gaining in strength.

Cyclones, a feature of the summer rainy season in south-east Africa, killed 110 people in Madagascar, one of the world's poorest countries, in 2008 and left around half a million people homeless. (dpa)