At least four people died, two were injured and another 12,740 were affected by the heavy rainfall in southern Mozambique on Sunday, the National Emergency Operations Centre (Cenoe) said today.
The deaths were recorded in Inhambane province, all caused by lightning, said Ana Cristina, director of Mozambique’s Cenoe, during a meeting of the Technical Council for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction.
The bad weather, recorded in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane, also caused the total or partial destruction of 11 houses and flooded another 9,985, as well as affecting 19 schools, 49 access roads and 13 health centres, the preliminary data indicates.
According to the source, 27 reception centres were opened, which now house at least 7,658 people.
The National Meteorological Institute (Inam) forecasts continued rainfall in the south, but said that “it will tend to slow down, with the possibility of light rain prevailing from Tuesday onwards”, the organisation said in a statement.
Inam warned of moderate to heavy rain in the next 24 hours in Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa, in the north of the country.
According to the Mozambican authorities, as of the 15th, a total of 135 people have died, 195 have been injured and 131,915 have been affected by the country’s rainy season, which runs from October to April.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by global climate change, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season.
Lusa
