Cyclone Idai: Death Toll Rises to 417 in Mozambique

Maputo [Mozambique], Mar 24 (ANI): 417 people have lost their lives in Mozambique, while over 1,500 people have been injured due to Cyclone Idai until now, according to Mozambican minister Celso Correia."There is a very large impact on the affected areas, and through drones, we have been receiving preliminary data, and unfortunately we now have 417 deaths and 1,528 injured," Xinhua quoted Correia as saying on Saturday.The minister added that 89,000 people are in shelters as efforts continue in locating the missing.The death toll is expected to rise as floodwaters recede. However, no disease outbreak has been reported so far but aid agencies have raised an alarm due to a lack of safe drinking water and sanitation at shelters."We have already been able to re-establish communication, which is facilitating our work, and by Sunday we will have some roads become operational, including the National Road 6, and the railways," the minister said.Electricity has been restored in the port city of Beira which will help expedite assistance to the affected areas and people, according to Correia.He also outlined that a million people have been affected due to the storm. "It should be noted that the impact area is from four provinces, and in this area of impact live about seven million people," Correia said.Being considered as one of the worst disasters to hit Southern Africa in living history, Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique last week, leaving a trail of destruction in Zimbabwe and Malawi as well. Villages have been flooded after two major rivers burst their banks in the days following the storm.259 deaths have been recorded in neighbouring Zimbabwe while 56 deaths have been reported in Malawi due to Cyclone Idai.The Indian Navy was the first responder in the evolving humanitarian crises in the aftermath of the high-end, Category -2 storm that hit Mozambique on March 15. Assistance is also being sent to Zimbabwe and Malawi. (ANI)

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