Mozambique: Storm Ana death toll rises to 10 as flooding continues

Maputo (AIM-New Ziana) -Flooding from Tropical Storm Ana has claimed at least 10 lives in Mozambique as the depression moves inland, latest information from local authorities and civil protection agencies shows.

Tropical Cyclone Ana, which formed on Sunday, and made landfall over Mozambique early Monday morning with maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h.

Mozambique has the seasonal cyclonic season, and Tropical Storm Ana, which has since lost strength and turned into a depression, was the first to hit the country.

In a provisional report following a visit to assess the impact of the tropical storm, which hit Tete province in the centre of the country, provincial governor Domingos Viola said six people died on Tuesday afternoon, as the flow of rivers in the districts of Macanga and Tsangano increased.

At least two other people died after being swept away by the Licungo river in Mocuba, Zambézi province, on Monday, while two more deaths were reported by the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) from Manica province on Tuesday, with one of the people dying when the wall of a house collapsed on him.

In Tete province, the increase in the flow of the Revubué River on Tuesday destroyed the Tete-Moatize Bridge, several houses and other infrastructure.

Some vehicles forming part of Viola’s convoy were swept away by the flood waters during the assessment visit, among them that of Tete district administrator José Maria Mandere, whose body was found on Wednesday in the lower Benga area.

Search operations, which began shortly after the incident, resulted in the rescue last night of a Radio Mozambique journalist who was reporting on the governor’s mission.

Despite the storm currently advancing towards Zimbabwe, heavy rain is expected in Mozambique in the coming days, capable of causing flash floods and landslides in northern central parts of the country.

According to local authorities, at least 39 people were killed and about 65 000 left homeless in Madagascar when the storm passed over the island at the end of last week, while in Malawi at least 4 people have died.

AIM-New Ziana