Hundreds dead as cyclone devastates Mozambique port city
The president of Mozambique has said the death toll for Cyclone Idai may be more than 1,000, as aid effort get underway amidst the “massive and horrifying” destruction.
As much as 90 p er cent of Mozambique’ s central port city of Be ira has been damaged or destroyed by tropical Cyclone Idai.
The city of 500,000 people was battered by the cyclone, which cut off electricity, forced the airport to shut down and closed road access, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.
Cyclone Idai first hit Beira last week and then moved inland spreading heavy winds and rainfall to Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Officials said more than 215 people have been killed by the storm, hundreds more are still missing and more than 1.5 million people have been affected by the widespread destruction and flooding, while high winds have destroyed homes and ripped roofs from concrete buildings.
After flying over Be ira, president Filip eNyu sit old state Radio Mozambique he believes the death toll will be more than 1,000 and said he saw bodies floating in the flooded areas. He added that more than 100,000 people are at risk.
“The waters of the Pungue and Buzi rivers overflowed, making whole villages disappear and isolating communities, and bodies are floating,” said Mr Nyusi. “It is a real disaster of great proportions.”
Jamie Lesueur, who led a Red Cross aerial assessment of the city, said the scale of the damage to Beira was “massive and horrifying”.
The team had to view the city by helicopter because roads were flooded, he said.
“The situation is terrible. The scale of devastation is enormous. It seems that 90 per cent of the area is completely destroyed,” he said.
“Almost everything is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed.
Some affected communities are not yet accessible.
“Be ira has been severely battered. But we are also hearing that the situation outside the city could be even worse.
At least 126 people had died in Mozambique and Malawi, according to the Red Cross.
In Zimbabwe, 89 people have died from the floods, the country’s information ministry said Monday.
Mr Nyusi and Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa both returned from foreign trips to attend to the emergencies caused by t he storm.
The Zimbabwe an government declared a state of national disaster.
UN agencies and the Red Cross are helping with res - cue efforts that include delivering food supplies and medicine sin the impoverished countries.
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