Mozambican flood death toll up
February 18, 2003 Edition -1
Maputo - At least 47 people have died in northern Mozambique in the past month because of heavy flooding - 10 of them in the past week.
"Some drowned, others were electrocuted and the rest lost their lives after their homes collapsed," Antonio Pombal, a senior government official, said yesterday, speaking of the most recent deaths.
The northern province of Nampula has been especially hard hit, and thousands of residents have abandoned their homes, heading for higher ground.
About 213 000 people had been affected by torrential rains and flooding that intensified last month when Cyclone Delfina hit northern Mozambique, officials said.
Around 6 000 homes and many schools have been severely damaged or destroyed and 34 000 hectares of crops have been lost to the flooding.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network has warned that this year's harvest would be extremely poor throughout the southern and central parts of the country.
About 1,5-million people are facing starvation across the country, part of a larger food crisis in Southern Africa caused by erratic rains.
Flooding in 2001 and 2000 killed more than 800 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
Pombal said a government team touring the area to assess the damage had been hampered by rains washing away roads. - Sapa-AP
