World

Cyclone Idai: 'Massive disaster' in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

March 20, 2019 5:12 am

Cyclone Idai has triggered a “massive disaster” in southern Africa affecting hundreds of thousands if not millions of people, the UN says.

The region has been hit by widespread flooding and devastation affecting Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi has called it “a humanitarian disaster of great proportion”.

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He said more than 1,000 people may have been killed after the cyclone hit the country last week.

Cyclone Idai made landfall near the port city of Beira in Sofala province on Thursday with winds of up to 177 km/h (106 mph).

“We need all the logistical support that we can get, ” Christian Lindmeier from the UN’s World Health Organization said.

Mozambique’s government says 84 people have died and 100,000 need to be urgently rescued near Beira.