The disaster management agency has called for global support to determine the exact death toll.
The death toll from Cyclone Chido in Mozambique has risen to 73, disaster management officials announced on Thursday.
The president of the country’s National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD), Luisa Meque, stated, “As the assessment of the damage caused by the cyclone in the southern African nation continues, more bodies are being discovered in the process.”
“We cannot determine the exact number of people who have died due to the storm,” she said.
Meque added that the number of injured individuals is also rising daily.
“Our situation is quite dire and overwhelming. We need a lot of support to accurately identify the death toll; otherwise, it becomes extremely difficult to retrieve bodies, as some are deeply buried under collapsed buildings,” she explained.
Meque warned that despite the storm having subsided, the death toll could increase as the extent of the damage is further assessed.
She noted that approximately 2.5 million people have been affected by the cyclone.
According to UNICEF Mozambique Country Representative Louise Eagleton, the number of children most affected by the cyclone is approximately 90,000.
“In almost all the affected communities, the number of children impacted is increasing. These are children struggling to find livelihoods and shelter. Children are bearing the brunt of the cyclone. The current situation in the country is heartbreaking,” said Eagleton.
On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs allocated $4 million for emergency response to the cyclone.
In neighboring Malawi, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) reported that the death toll has reached 13, with 45,000 people displaced in five districts of the Southern region.
Tropical Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique on December 15, bringing strong winds, thunderstorms, and over 250 millimeters (9.84 inches) of intense rainfall within 24 hours.
The cyclone later advanced toward Malawi.
