Mozambique cyclone death toll surges to more than 200: president

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A picture shows plants utility poles and electrical pylons in the flooded area outside the coastal city of Beira in central Mozambique on March 19, 2019, after the area was hit by the Cyclone Idai. – Rescue workers in Mozambique were racing against time to pluck people off trees and rooftops on March 19, after a monster storm reaped a feared harvest of more than 1,000 lives before smashing into Zimbabwe. Four days after Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall, torrential rains and powerful winds, combined with flash floods that have swept away roads and bridges, inflicted further pain on the two impoverished countries. (Photo by ADRIEN BARBIER / AFP)

BEIRA, Mozambique (AFP) — The death toll in Mozambique after Tropical Cyclone Idai struck the southern African nation last week has climbed to more than 200, President Filipe Nyusi said Tuesday.

“According to the information given to us here… we already have more than 200 dead, and nearly 350,000 people are at risk,” the president said after attending a cabinet meeting in the storm-stricken central city of Beira.

The confirmed death toll stood at 202, he said, adding that the government had declared a national emergency as well as three days of national mourning starting on Friday.

“We are in an extremely difficult situation,” Nyusi said, adding that flood waters were expected to rise to around eight metres (26 feet) in the coming days

© Agence France-Presse