In Malawi and Mozambique, the situation remains critical after another passage of Cyclone Freddy
Relatives of people who lost their lives to Storm Freddy searching for their bodies at the morgue at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
REUTERS - ELDSON CHAGARA
Text by: RFI Follow
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In Malawi and Mozambique, the situation remains critical four days after a new passage of Freddy, on the way to being classified as the longest cyclone ever recorded by meteorologists.
It killed at least 190 people in Malawi and 10 people in Mozambique.
Many other people are missing in these two southern African countries.
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Thousands of displaced people, houses destroyed and vital infrastructure damaged: the situation remains critical in southern Africa, four days after the return of Cyclone Freddy.
In Malawi and Mozambique, at least 200 people have died and many more are missing.
It is the region of the economic capital of Malawi which pays the heaviest price.
The Blantyre region alone has indeed recorded at least 85 deaths.
A mudslide on the night of March 12 to 13 washed away houses and buried residents.
► See also Cyclone Freddy: Malawi and Mozambique hard hit
Most of the houses in this region are made of mud bricks, making them vulnerable to the weather.
Rescuers are looking for survivors with paltry means, shovels or bare hands.
And the torrential rains, which continue to fall on Malawi, do not make their task any easier.
Malawians are urged to be extra vigilant against falling trees, avoid overflowing rivers and limit their movements.
Schools will remain closed until March 15.
“This risks exacerbating the cholera epidemic”
But the country is not done with the troubles.
Because the cholera epidemic, which has been raging in Malawi since last year, could worsen, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
And it is also the fear in neighboring Mozambique, where Freddy returned to strike on March 11.
More than 8,000 people there are threatened by cholera.
This is explained by Guy Taylor, spokesperson for Unicef in Mozambique.
It is in Quelimane, one of the most affected cities “
In many parts of the country, the river basins and the reservoirs are already full
, he underlines at the microphone of
Christina Okello
.
And with rains falling in upstream countries like Malawi, there is a risk that flooding will intensify in Mozambique
.”
He continues: “
This risks exacerbating the cholera epidemic, but also favoring the spread of waterborne diseases, such as diarrhoea, which is one of the main causes of death among children.
And that is of great concern to us at Unicef.
»
On track to be classified as the longest cyclone ever recorded by meteorologists, Freddy should leave by sea during the week.
But its damage, warns Unicef, will remain much longer.
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