UK to send aid to victims of deadly Cyclone Idai

Up to 20 tonnes of UK aid is set to be delivered to help those caught up in the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai in south-east Africa.

Across Mozambique it is estimated that 1.8 million people have been affected by the cyclone, which also ravaged parts of Malawi and Zimbabwe and killed at least 762.

Aid due to be delivered by an RAF aircraft is expected to include solar lanterns, water purifiers and shelter kits, the Ministry of Defence said. The A400M Atlas aircraft will help provide relief for the 37,500 people in need of urgent shelter when it departs for Mozambique early this week, amid reports that at least 17,400 homes have been destroyed by the cyclone and subsequent flooding.

Unicef ’s executive director Henrietta Fore has said it is a “race against time to help and protect children”, and said: “We’re assisting those sheltering in schools, setting up emergency medical tents, helping reunite separated families, and looking after orphaned children. Things will get worse before it gets better.”

The UK is also sending forklift trucks and other equipment to help quickly unload aid from planes and cut the time it takes to get relief items to those in need. A flight containing more than 7,500 shelter kits and 100 family tents arrived in the country last week. The UK’S total support for the survivors of Cyclone Idai now stands at £22 million, including £4m of aid-match money for the Disaster Emergency Committee’s appeal.