Jude kills five in Nampula

Maputo, 11 Mar (AIM) – At least five people died on Monday during the passage of tropical cyclone Jude in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula.

Four people died in the port city of Nacala, while the fifth death occurred in Meconta district. According to the Mayor of Nacala, Faruk Nuro, the four deaths were caused by the collapse of flimsy houses.

“We have registered four deaths due to houses collapsing and teams from the municipality are collecting other data. The situation here in Nacala is critical and it’s still raining”, he said.

He added that the torrential rain that accompanied Cyclone Jude opened a huge crater in the lower part of the city, putting nearby buildings at risk and affecting the movement of people and goods.

“We have families sheltering in schools and our advice is for people to reinforce the security of their homes and look for safe places to protect themselves”, he said.

Also as a result of Cyclone Jude, EDM reports that just over 400,000 clients of the publicly-owned electricity company, EDM have been deprived of electricity in the province. Jude is the third cyclone to hit Nampula since last December. It was preceded by Chico and Dikeledi, which left a trail of destruction in their wake.

Over land,the cyclone lost much of its power, and by midday Tuesday it had been downgraded to a moderate tropical storm. Heavy rains are forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday for much of northern Mozambique and Malawi.

But as of Wednesday, the storm is forecast to change direction, moving to the south east, crossing the Mozambique Channel again and heading towards southern Madagascar.
(AIM)
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