Intense storm kills dozens in Mozambique (VIDEO)
At least 45 people have been killed in Mozambique and hundreds of others injured, after Cyclone Chido made landfall in the southern African state on Sunday, according to the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management (INGD).
According to official records, the storm, which brought winds of around 260km per hour, affected an estimated 182,000 people in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa.
More than 35,000 houses have been destroyed, and 48 healthcare facilities and 149 schools have been damaged, INGD reported on Wednesday.
“The high winds and torrential rains from the cyclone resulted in 45 deaths (37 in Cabo Delgado, five in Nampula, and three in Niassa), and 493 people were injured,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) stated.
The UNOCHA announced that its Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has allocated US$4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to the Mozambican government in support of humanitarian efforts.
First drone footage emerging from Mecufi district, in #CaboDelgado, shows the damage done by the strong winds from #CycloneChido to people's homes and other infrastructure. @UNICEF is on the ground, responding, but additional support is urgently needed. pic.twitter.com/HXPxVTfkoN
— UNICEF Moçambique (@UNICEF_Moz) December 16, 2024
Chido is classified as a category 4 cyclone, and reached its peak on December 12.
Before wreaking havoc on the former Portuguese colony, Cyclone Chido ripped through the French overseas island territory of Mayotte, off the coast of Africa, on Saturday. Hundreds of people are believed to have died in Mayotte, with several more missing. The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) reported on Tuesday that it has lost contact with more than 200 of its volunteers following the disaster. Large portions of Mayotte’s main island, Grande-Terre, are reportedly cut off from roads, internet, and phone networks, electricity, and water.
In a statement on Wednesday, Malawi’s disaster management department also said 13 people were killed and 29 others injured when “moderate” tropical storm Chido hit the landlocked African country, which borders Mozambique to the east and south.
According to the government agency, a total of 10,159 households have been devastated by the cyclone.
The latest storm comes a year after Cyclone Freddy killed over 180 people in Mozambique and left more than 1,200 others missing or presumed dead in Malawi. The World Meteorological Organization has declared Freddy as the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, lasting 36 days.
