Death toll from floods in southern Mozambique rises to six, 7,300 families affected

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Death toll from floods in southern Mozambique rises to six, 7,300 families affected

8:20 CAT | 12 Feb 2023

Members of the FADM and Mozambique Civic Service in coordination with the UNAPROC ( Civil Protection Unit) carrying out flood rescue operations in Boane district, on Saturday, February 11, 2023. [Photo: Ministério da Defesa Nacional - Moçambique]

The number of deaths caused by floods in southern Mozambique since Tuesday has risen from four to six, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) announced this Sunday. According to he INGD, there are three people reported missing and two injured.

The last two deaths concern two people who lost their lives on Saturday due to the collapse of a house in Boane district, said Wilson Manique, an INGD technician, at a session of the emergency committee, quoted by Rádio Moçambique.

READ: Mozambique: Three children missing, swept away by floodwaters in Namaacha – Watch

Boane district is 30 kilometres south of Maputo, the Mozambican capital, and has been one of the most affected by heavy rain and discharges from the Pequenos Libombos dam.

According to the INGD, one of the main needs is t providing humanitarian aid, such as food, to people staying in shelters.

According to data from the INGD, there are 13,700 people staying in 10 accommodation centres set up in the city and province of Maputo, but the organization’s leaders admit that the numbers could be higher.

These residents who sought shelter in the centers are the most vulnerable group of the entire population affected by the floods.

Luísa Meque, president of INGD, said today in the town of Boane that the total number of people affected (that is, with some type of damage to be reported) rose to 36,700, equivalent to 7,300 families, with an equal number of houses damaged.

According to Meque, the numbers represent a still preliminary balance given that, despite the rain having already eased, many areas remain submerged.

The INGD communique from this Sunday reports that search and rescue operations have so far saved 15,300 people.

According to the authorities, there are 270 kilometres of impassable roads and paths.

Source: Lusa / INGD