Malawi death toll from Cyclone Freddy rises to 190

By Bethlehem Feleke, Larry Madowo, Duarte Mendonca, Nimi Princewill

At least 190 people have died after Tropical Cyclone Freddy ripped through southern Malawi, local authorities said Tuesday as survivors continue to look for loved ones in badly hit areas.

At least 584 have been injured and 37 people have been reported missing in the country.

The Malawi Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change said Tuesday the cyclone is “weakening but will continue to cause torrential rains associated with windy conditions in most parts of Southern Malawi districts.”

“The threat of heavy flooding and damaging winds remains very high,” the report added.

Charles Kalemba, a commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs agency, told CNN Tuesday that the situation had worsened in southern Malawi.

“It’s worse today. A number of places are flooding and a number of roads and bridges are cut. Visibility is almost zero. Electricity is off and also network is a problem. It’s becoming more and more dire,” Kalemba said, adding that rescue operations have also been affected by poor weather.

“It’s tough. We need to use machinery (for rescue operations) but machines cannot go to places where they were supposed to excavate because of the rains,” Kalemba added.

Malawi’s Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services warned Monday that “the threat of damaging winds and heavy flooding remains very high.”

Kalemba added that an improvement in weather is expected from Wednesday. “Possibly by tomorrow, the cyclone may have passed. We are hoping to see improvement from tomorrow but today is worse. There are heavy rains and lots of water.”

In Mozambique, at least 10 people were killed and 13 injured in the Zambezia province, according to state broadcaster Radio Mozambique, citing the National Institute of Disaster Risk Management.

The deadly cyclone has broken records for the longest-lasting storm of its kind after making landfall in Mozambique for a second time, more than two weeks after the first.

More than 22,000 people have been displaced by the tropical storm, according to Radio Mozambique.

“It’s quite likely that number will go up,” Guy Taylor, chief of advocacy, communications and partnerships for UNICEF in Mozambique, told CNN Tuesday.

“The size or the strength of the storm was much higher than the last time … the impact in terms of damage and the impact on people’s lives has been more substantial,” he said.

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