Dondo earthquake victims need help to rebuild – Mozambique

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Dondo earthquake victims need help to rebuild – Mozambique

11:58 CAT | 29 Jun 2017

Victims of the earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale which struck Dondo in Sofala late on Saturday night are slowly getting their lives back, while praying for support to help them rebuild. But the supply of food is a concern for all.

The Provincial Directorate of Mineral Resources and Energy of Sofala had revealed that the earthquake’s epicentre was ten kilometres below the administrative post of Mafambisse, about 37 kilometres from the provincial capital, Beira.

In addition to Dondo, the earthquake shook the city of Beira and the districts of Gorongosa, Muanza and part of Búzi.

It was to Dondo that the “Diário de Moçambique” reporting team made its way to see the damage caused and how the families affected were coping.

There, we learned that collapsing walls had injured four farmers in Mussassa and in Magandafuta village. In Magandafuta, the earthquake brought two walls down, while in Mussassa it demolished two burned bricks houses.

Magandafuta

Magandafuta village is in Mutua locality. The collapsed walls there are still in the same state as the earthquake left them.

The owners of the two buildings affected are Sebane Paulo and Lourenço Guta, in whose house three people were injured – Sebastiana Sigano, Inês Quembo and Rosa Parafino. Both say they do not have the financial or material resources to repair their homes.

Sebane Paulo said that the earthquake caused a partition wall in his house to fall down, as a result of which he sustained injuries to his head and knees.

“I am a casual worker (biscateiro) and I live by doing work in the fields, but since I was injured I cannot do anything, because I cannot move much. I have no food and I do not know how I’m going to rebuild the wall that has fallen down. So I need help. I’ve got some food from my neighbours,” he recounted.

Meanwhile, Lourenço Guta, three of whose dependents were injured, said that he lives in Beira and travels to Magandafuta to do farm work.

“We came to harvest rice and we were all in the same house as usual. When the earthquake struck, I was in another room of the house, but soon after I heard shouts and cries for help. When I got to the other side where the women were, I came upon the wall, collapsed on top of all three of them. I started removing the bricks,” Guta said.

The three casualties then went to the Mutua health post and from there to Beira Central Hospital. After treatment, the victims were discharged and returned home, two to Beira and one to the city of Dondo where, according to Guta, they are recovering satisfactorily.

“The problem is that this situation has caught us without any money and we need bamboo, nails, bars, stakes, bricks and cement to rebuild the house. We hope the government will support us in this regard,” Guta said.

Source: Diário de Moçambique