Cyclone Belal: Flooding as storm hits Réunion and heads for Mauritius

Torrential rain and flooding have hit Mauritius and the French territory of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean, as Cyclone Belal crosses the islands.

One person was killed in Réunion, where the population of about 860,000 was ordered to shelter at home, but the eye of the storm has avoided the island.

Around a quarter of households on the island had no electricity and thousands were without running water on Monday.

One person - a motorcyclist - has also died on Mauritius, police have said.

Officials on the island say the storm will pass to the south on Tuesday. A cyclone warning level three, out of four, is in place.

"Belal is dangerously approaching Mauritius and it represents a threat," Mauritius's meteorological service said.

Sheets of metal clattering in the howling wind can be heard in the deserted streets of the capital, Port Louis. People further south on the island are dealing with the worst of the weather.

The nation has been under curfew since 20:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and it will last until noon on Tuesday.

By 16:30 local time the country's international airport was shut, along with government offices, banks and other firms, and the staff were sent home in advance of expected torrential rain, the AFP news agency reports.

The storm had already brought heavy downpours.

Posts on social media show vehicles being submerged or washed away in Port Louis. Some of the water has now receded, revealing numerous damaged cars.

"When the government closed offices today at 12:30 pm, it created a big panic. Many did not find their cars," one bank employee was quoted by AFP as saying.

"My car was carried away 500 metres [yards] by rainwater. This is the first time in my life that I've seen this," he added.

Ahead of the cyclone passing to the south of the island, the UK Foreign Office advised tourists to follow official guidance, which includes staying indoors.

Earlier, the authorities in Réunion had raised the storm alert level to violet, the highest level, as the cyclone approached the island.

That alert level banned even police and rescuers from leaving shelter. The level was later dropped to red, allowing the authorities to offer aid to those affected.

Despite the dire warnings, Réunion appears to have been spared the worst of the cyclone, as the eye of the storm passed to the north. Jerôme Filippini, the region's prefect, said it had not had the "cataclysmic character" initially feared.

However, health officials have told people not to use tap water for drinking or cooking.

The one person confirmed dead was said to be homeless. Authorities said the victim had refused emergency accommodation.