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Cyclone Chido’s deadly path through Mozambique has claimed the lives of at least 73 people, according to the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management, which revised its earlier report on Thursday. The toll had initially been set at 45, but the scale of destruction has become increasingly clear as more fatalities are confirmed.
Having torn through the Indian Ocean Island of Mayotte, Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday. Early reports suggest a catastrophic toll on Mayotte, with fears that the death count could reach into the thousands as authorities grapple with the aftermath of the storm.
The cyclone’s impact was particularly severe in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, where the death toll has reached 66, as reported by the disaster centre. This updated figure underscores the devastation caused by Cyclone Chido as it tore through the region.
Four were killed in Nampula province and three in Niassa, further inland, it said. One person was missing.
More than 540 people were reported injured by the cyclone, which brought winds of around 260 kilometres (160 miles) an hour and heavy rainfall of around 250 millimetres (10 inches) in 24 hours, the centre said.
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More than 39,100 homes were destroyed and more than 13,400 others partially destroyed, it said. More than 329,500 people were affected by the storm.
Chido struck a part of northern Mozambique that is regularly battered by cyclones and is already vulnerable because of conflict and underdevelopment.
UNICEF’s Mozambique spokesman Guy Taylor has said there are concerns about the spread of diseases such as cholera and malaria.
After sweeping over Mozambique, the cyclone moved into Malawi where it killed 13 people and injured nearly 30, according to that country’s disaster management agency.
