Malawi fears that the death toll from Cyclone ‘Freddy’ will exceed a thousand

21 (EUROPA PRESS)

The Malawian authorities have acknowledged that the death toll after the passage of tropical cyclone ‘Freddy’ may be over a thousand, with very little chance that rescue teams will be able to find survivors alive.

“Seven days have passed and the chances of finding people trapped in the mud alive are slim,” Charles Kalemba, a senior official at the disaster management agency, told the DPA agency on Tuesday.

Malawi rescue teams have already confirmed nearly 500 deaths and have reported that almost 350 people are officially missing. Likewise, more than 1,300 people are seriously injured, while more than half a million have been forced to leave the region after the passage of ‘Freddy’.

In this context, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with other United Nations agencies, has assured that it is working hand in hand with the Government of Malawi to provide support to those affected in more than 500 accommodation centers in devastated areas.

“The people of Malawi are facing another catastrophic natural disaster with a potential long-term effect. It is important that we urgently reach affected communities as needs grow by the hour,” said IOM Director General Antonio vitorino.

As the IOM has remarked in a statement, southern Africa faces this type of weather almost every year, which demonstrates the urgency of adopting decisive measures to guarantee support for the region and develop systems that facilitate the management and response to emergencies.

According to the data provided by the organization, storms, floods, droughts and other natural catastrophes in the last decade have caused an annual average of 21.6 million internally displaced persons by 2021. This type of disaster drives “increasingly the migration and displacement in all regions of the world”.

The cyclone has caused enormous damage in 14 affected municipalities: Balaka, Blantyre and Blantyre capital, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Neno, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, Zomba and Zomba capital.

The United Nations is also watching the country, and the resident coordinator, Rebecca Adda Dontoh, has asked the international community for help during her visit to the areas affected by the rains and floods.

For his part, the country’s president, Lazarus Chakwera, declared fourteen days of national mourning, until Thursday, March 29, to “honor the lives lost as a result of the cyclone,” according to the Secretary of the Presidency, Colleen Zamba.