Cyclone: ten Deaths Confirmed In Zambézia

Maputo, 14 Mar (AIM) – At least ten people are known to have died, and a further 14 suffered injuries, during the passage of tropical cyclone Freddy through the central Mozambican province of Zambezia, over the weekend.

Speaking to Radio Mozambique, in the provincial capital, Quelimane, Nelson Lodovico, the local delegate of the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGD), said that during the cyclone over 22,000 people were sheltered in 35 accommodation centres set up by the government.

Lodovico added that 832 houses in the city were completely destroyed, and a further 1,050 were damaged. 14 health units were damaged or destroyed.

The publicly-owned electricity company, EDM, said on Monday that the number of people deprived of electricity in Zambezia, Manica and Sofala provinces has risen to 116,000. EDM stressed that it has teams on the ground working to restore the electricity supply as quickly as possible.

The major obstacle faced by the EDM teams is the flooding caused by Cyclone Freddy, which has made parts of Quelimane inaccessible.

The Mayor of Quelimane, Manuel de Araujo, cited in Tuesday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, described the situation in the city as “critical”, with about 100,000 people needing urgent humanitarian support.

He warned that the number in need is likely to increase, since high winds and heavy rains are continuing to batter the city. Araujo said that the cyclone had blown the roofs off many public and private buildings, including parts of the Quelimane Central Hospital, where several wards have been flooded.

Throughout the weekend it was impossible to each Quelimane by sea or by air. All flights to and from the city were grounded, and the maritime authorities banned all ships from putting out to sea.

But on Monday, Mozambique Airlines (LAM) announced the resumption of its scheduled flights to Quelimane. Telecommunication services were also re-established on Monday.
(AIM)
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