Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has visited the areas that are devastated by Cyclone Idai in his country. In Ngangu township in the town of Chimanimani in eastern Zimbabwe, the entire settlement has been swept away.
Zimbabwe is still counting its loses as the death toll reaches 142 and looks set to continue to rise.
Rescuers are working around the clock to find hundreds of people who are still missing.
Many families have been displaced by the cyclone which has also hit neighbouring Mozambique and Malawi.
“The last place we visited where three main rivers merge, an entire village was washed away. (I) think these are the bodies which are now being found in Mozambique, but we hear that some bodies have been recovered on the Mozambican side, but because of the passage of time, some bodies have now been buried. We still have no access to the Mozambican side, but our military personnel are on their way there,” says Mnangagwa.
Click below for more on the story:
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is continuing its search and rescue operation in the city of Beira in Mozambique.
However, most of the work now is moving towards providing aid as flood waters are starting to subside.
Beira is one of the hardest-hit cities by Cyclone Idai. Schools, churches and hospitals have been destroyed and are without water and electricity.
At least 417 people have been confirmed dead in Mozambique.
On Friday, South Africa’s International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu was in Mozambique when she met with President Filipe Nyusi.
“We came to Mozambique because we have a presence in Beira to assist with the calamity that has befallen the people of Mozambique. We came to the President to indicate to him the nature of our operations in Beira, where we are assisted by the South African Air Force, a number of voluntary services like Gift of the Givers, the Red Cross and a number of other organisations, for which we, as South Africans, are very grateful.”
