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.

Cyclone Garance barrelled across La Reunion island on Friday killing at least two people as fierce winds left destruction across the French Indian Ocean territory, authorities said.

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.