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The deadly storm hit southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend. It passed first through central Mozambique and then towards Malawi, where it killed at least 100 people.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Freddy rose to 136 this Monday, March 13, between Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar.
The meteorological phenomenon left dozens of people injured and destroyed numerous buildings, trees and electrical installations.
Freddy formed near Australia in early February and is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.
It has already hit southern Africa twice, the second time this weekend.
On Saturday, its passage through central Mozambique was recorded, where it caused severe flooding. Power supply and telephone signals were cut in some parts of the country.
The storm then headed towards Malawi, where the rains caused landslides, the Commissioner of the Department of Disaster Management, Charles Kalemba, said at a press conference.
The storm caused 99 deaths in Malawi, 85 of them in the main financial center of Blantyre, Kalemba revealed. At Blantyre hospital, some 200 injured people are being treated.
“It is feared that some of the missing are buried in the rubble,” police spokesman Peter Kalaya said.
“We suspect this number will rise as we are trying to compile a national report from our south-west, south-east and east police offices, which cover the affected areas,” Kalaya added.
The country suffered power outages and the main hydroelectric plants were closed to protect them from possible damage.
The Malawi government suspended classes in 10 districts in its southern region “as a precautionary measure.”
Critical situation in Mozambique
The Mozambican province of Zambezia was particularly affected: at least 10 people have died as a result of the storm’s passage.
“The situation is critical in the province of Zambezia. We cannot provide an exact picture of the magnitude of the damage because there are no communications with all the regions,” Health Minister Armindo Tiago said on public radio.
Guy Taylor, head of communications advocacy for Unicef Mozambique, the UN agency for children, warned that humanitarian agencies did not have the capacity to deal with such a disaster.
Freddy could be the longest tropical cyclone ever recorded. The UN weather agency is determining whether it has broken the 31-day record set by Hurricane John in 1994.
With AP and Reuters
