Over 120 Killed, 200 missing as Cyclone Hits Mozambique, Zimbabwe | Photos

As we write, over 120 people have been killed and many more are missing in Mozambique, a southern African nation whose long Indian Ocean coastline is dotted with popular beaches like Tofo, as well as offshore marine parks, and neighbouring Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in southern Africa known for its dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife on Sunday after tropical cyclone Idai barrelled across the southern African nations with flash floods and ferocious winds.

Authorities in Mozambique said the toll there had risen to 62 in the centre of the country, while Zimbabwe said 65 people were killed in affected eastern areas, after the cyclone tore across the region on Friday and Saturday.

Mozambique’s environment Minister Celso Correia gave AFP the country’s updated number of deaths in Beira and Dondo districts, but warned: “We will certainly end with a higher toll.”

“I think this is the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced. Everything is destroyed. Our priority now is to save human lives,” he said at Beira international airport, which re-opened Sunday after being temporarily closed because of cyclone damage.

Idai hit Mozambique first on Thursday night before moving to Zimbabwe.

In Zimbabwe, eastern Chimanimani district was the worst hit part of the country, where houses and bridges were washed away by flash floods when the storm slammed the area.

This picture taken on March 15, 2019 shows vehicules as rain, which is believed to be the beginning of Tropical cyclone Idai coming from central Mozambique, falls in the flooded district of Chikwawa, southern Malawi. – At least 56 people have died in flood-hit areas as of March 13, according to the government, while 577 had been injured and almost 83,000 people have been displaced. (Photo by AMOS GUMULIRA / AFP) (Photo credit should read AMOS GUMULIRA/AFP/Getty Images)

The most affected areas are not yet accessible, while high winds and dense clouds have hampered military rescue helicopter flights.

“So far we looking at 65 people that have lost their lives,” Joshua Sacco, lawmaker for Chimanimani, told AFP by phone, adding that between “150 to 200 people” are missing.

The majority of those unaccounted for are thought to be government workers, whose housing complex was completely engulfed by raging waters. Their fate is currently unknown because the area is still unreachable.

“We are very worried because all these houses were just suddenly submerged under water and literally washed away and that is where we have about 147 missing,” he said. “It’s very sad and the situation is dire.”

Two pupils at a secondary school in the area were among those killed, after a landslide sent a boulder crashing into their dormitory, the country’s civil protection agency said.