‘Massive and HORRIFYING’ Cyclone IDAI is feared to have killed more than a THOUSAND people in Mozambique

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Filipe Nyusi, president of Mozambique, said Cyclone Idai had caused mass devastation in the African nation. The port city of Beira – with 500,000 people – has been cut off by air and road. Red Cross workers estimate that some 90 per cent of the city has been wrecked. The dangerous cyclone may have killed more than 1,000 people, the country’s president has said.

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This photo shows some of the damage done by Cyclone Idai. Picture by Mozambique Ministry of Information

Filipe Nyusi said Cyclone Idai had caused mass devastation and predicted the current death toll of 150 would rise enormously.

Speaking to state radio after flying over the port city of Beira and viewing the flooding and devastation, Nyusi said he saw bodies floating in the flooded areas. 

As the crisis mounted one charity said it was ‘possibly the deadliest cyclone ever recorded in the region‘.  

Shelter: Residents are seen protecting themselves from the rain in the aftermath of cyclone Idai's devastating progress through Beira, Mozambique
Shelter: Residents are seen protecting themselves from the rain in the aftermath of cyclone Idai’s devastating progress through Beira, Mozambique

Beira has been severely battered by the cyclone which cut off electricity, forced the airport to shut down and cut off road access to the rest of the country. 

Devastation: An aerial view from a helicopter shows the scale of flooding in the port city of Beira. The Red Cross estimates that 90 per cent of the city has been damaged or destroyed
Devastation: An aerial view from a helicopter shows the scale of flooding in the port city of Beira. The Red Cross estimates that 90 per cent of the city has been damaged or destroyed

The Red Cross said that 90 percent of Beira, a city of 500,000, had been damaged or destroyed.  

From above: A NASA image shows cyclone Idai as it hits Mozambique, where President Filipe Nyusi believes the death toll could rise to more than one thousand
From above: A NASA image shows cyclone Idai as it hits Mozambique, where President Filipe Nyusi believes the death toll could rise to more than one thousand

Describing the cyclone’s impact as ‘massive and horrifying‘ they said the scale of devastation was ‘enormous’.  

Ruined: This picture taken by the United Nations World Food Programme shows a collapsed building in Beira, where access to the rest of the country by air and road has been cut off
Ruined: This picture taken by the United Nations World Food Programme shows a collapsed building in Beira, where access to the rest of the country by air and road has been cut off 

The charity’s Jamie LeSueur said: ‘Almost everything is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed. Some affected communities are not accessible. Beira has been severely battered. But we are also hearing that the situation outside the city could be even worse. Yesterday, a large dam burst and cut off the last road to the city.‘ 

Damage at the airport in Beira in the aftermath of the cyclone has caused the transport hub to close and cut the city off from the rest of the country
Damage at the airport in Beira in the aftermath of the cyclone has caused the transport hub to close and cut the city off from the rest of the country 

Cyclone Idai first hit Beira last week and then moved inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi.   

A plane lies on its side after the cyclone swept through the airport in Beira, Mozambique
A plane lies on its side after the cyclone swept through the airport in Beira, Mozambique 

More than 215 people have been killed by the storm according to official figures in the three countries, hundreds more are missing and more than 1.5 million people have been affected, according to the Red Cross and government officials.

Humanitarian aid charity CARE said it was ‘possibly the deadliest cyclone ever recorded in the region‘. 

People walk through a flooded river in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, after the cylone moved inland
People walk through a flooded river in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, after the cylone moved inland

Marc Nosbach, the charity’s director in Mozambique, said: ‘Roads to the areas hit by the cyclone have been completely blocked by fallen trees and rubble. The infrastructure has been completely destroyed. Initial reports indicate significant damage to houses and buildings, including to health facilities and schools. There is a complete power outage since Thursday’s rainfall. Telephone and internet communications are down.

A destroyed car is seen amid the wreckage caused by the passage of the cyclone Idai
A destroyed car is seen amid the wreckage caused by the passage of the cyclone Idai

The heavy rains will raise the water levels in the rivers near Beira and potentially cause floods that will impact a wider area in Manica and Sofala Provinces, the charity said.   

Flights at Maputo International Airport in Mozambique's capital are shown as cancelled in the wake of the natural disaster
Flights at Maputo International Airport in Mozambique’s capital are shown as cancelled in the wake of the natural disaster

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa both returned from foreign trips to attend to the emergencies caused by the storm.

Emergency personnel vehicles driving in Beira, Mozambique, to assess the extent of the damages after the devastation of the cyclone
Emergency personnel vehicles driving in Beira, Mozambique, to assess the extent of the damages after the devastation of the cyclone 

Zimbabwe’s president returned home from the United Arab Emirates ‘to make sure he is involved directly with the national response by way of relief to victims of Cyclone Idai,’ the information ministry said. The Zimbabwean government declared a state of national disaster. 

Damages are seen in a street of Beira, Mozambique, on Sunday in the wake of the cyclone
Damages are seen in a street of Beira, Mozambique, on Sunday in the wake of the cyclone
Farmers check their crop after the area was hit by cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe. At least 215 people are believed to have died in the three countries
Farmers check their crop after the area was hit by cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe. At least 215 people are believed to have died in the three countries

Mozambique cyclone feared to have killed a thousand people. Horrifying!

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