Cyclone Idai Hits Mozambique, Over 1,000 Feared Dead, Says Its President

More than 1,000 people may have been killed in the Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, President Filipe Nyusi said in an address on national radio on Monday (17 March), reports CNN.

Nyusi was addressing the nation after an aerial survey of the affected areas in order to view the destruction and rescue efforts.

"Officially, we have a record of more than 84 dead but everything indicates that we can have a record of more than 1,000 dead," Nyusi was quoted in the report as saying. He added that as many as "100,000 people are in danger” and called the situation a "real humanitarian disaster of large proportions”.

"Waters from the rivers Pungue and Buzi have broken their banks, wiping out entire villages, isolating communities and we could see, as we flew above, bodies floating," the President said.

According to the report, Cyclone Idai made landfall near Beira in Mozambique last week and moved through neighbouring Zimbabwe and some parts of Malawi.

As per the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the initial assessments suggest that more than 150 people have been killed in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. However, it warned that the death toll could rise sharply.