Mozambique mourns Cyclone Idai victims

Mozambique began three days of mourning on Wednesday after Cyclone Idai killed hundreds of people and left behind massive flooding. The storm struck Mozambique late Thursday before moving on to Zimbabwe and Malawi. Rivers in Mozambique breached their banks, creating what aid workers described as “inland oceans” stretching for miles, the United Nations reported. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said more than 200 people died in his country but the death toll could climb much higher.

“The Mozambican president is quoted as saying they are fearing there are more than 1,000 casualties,” said Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization. “If these reports, these fears, are realized, then we can say that this is one of the worst weather-related disasters … in the Southern Hemisphere.” State media in neighboring Zimbabwe reported more than 100 deaths. Rescue workers continue to discover more bodies as aid efforts intensify.

Damaged roads and bridges have delayed assistance to some of the affected areas. The storm destroyed 90 percent of Mozambique’s port city of Beira, and rescue planes flying over the region reported survivors huddled on rooftops awaiting help. Doctors without Borders warned that flooding could bring waterborne diseases. The European Union pledged $3.9 million in emergency aid, and Zimbabwe said a planeload of aid from the United Arab Emirates will arrive on Wednesday.