Cyclone Idai 'might be southern hemisphere's worst such disaster'
Cyclone Idai, the tropical storm ravaging southern Africa, is possibly the worst weather-related disaster to hit the southern hemisphere, with 1.7 million people affected in Mozambique and 920,000 in Malawi, UN officials have said.
Storm surge floods up to six metres deep had caused “incredible devastation” over a huge area, the UN World Food Programme regional director, Lola Castro, said. The Buzi river had burst its banks, killing hundreds, and there was a risk of further flooding in the Buzi, Pungoe and Save river basins in the next 72 hours.
The Red Cross said the number of people killed in Mozambique was likely to rise significantly.
Drone footage posted online by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) showed buildings in the coastal settlement of Praia Nova, outside the port city of Beira, flattened by strong winds.
“We are working with Nasa and the European Space Agency to get satellite information to get a full picture of the affected areas and number of people trapped there,” Caroline Haga, an emergency communications specialist at the IFRC, told Reuters. “Given the sizes of these areas we expect the death toll to increase significantly.”
The official death toll in Mozambique is 84 – but its president, Filipe Nyusi, said on Monday he had flown over some of the worst-hit areas. He said he had seen bodies floating in rivers and estimated more than 1,000 people may have died there.
Ninety-eight people were confirmed dead and more than 200 missing in Zimbabwe, its government said. “I think this is the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced. Everything is destroyed,” Celso Correia, the environment minister, said. “Our priority now is to save human lives.
Cyclone Idai, the tropical storm ravaging southern Africa, is possibly the worst weather-related disaster to hit the southern hemisphere, with 1.7 million people affected in Mozambique and 920,000 in Malawi, UN officials have said.
Storm surge floods up to six metres deep had caused “incredible devastation” over a huge area, the UN World Food Programme regional director, Lola Castro, said. The Buzi river had burst its banks, killing hundreds, and there was a risk of further flooding in the Buzi, Pungoe and Save river basins in the next 72 hours.
The Red Cross said the number of people killed in Mozambique was likely to rise significantly.
Drone footage posted online by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) showed buildings in the coastal settlement of Praia Nova, outside the port city of Beira, flattened by strong winds.
“We are working with Nasa and the European Space Agency to get satellite information to get a full picture of the affected areas and number of people trapped there,” Caroline Haga, an emergency communications specialist at the IFRC, told Reuters. “Given the sizes of these areas we expect the death toll to increase significantly.”
The official death toll in Mozambique is 84 – but its president, Filipe Nyusi, said on Monday he had flown over some of the worst-hit areas. He said he had seen bodies floating in rivers and estimated more than 1,000 people may have died there.
Ninety-eight people were confirmed dead and more than 200 missing in Zimbabwe, its government said. “I think this is the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced. Everything is destroyed,” Celso Correia, the environment minister, said. “Our priority now is to save human lives.