LILONGWE, Mar 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – The cumulative death toll from Cyclone Freddy in southern Malawi hit 447, as of 07:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) last night, while the number of displaced people reached 362,928.
The country’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), confirmed the figures in its sixth update, revealing that 918 people have been injured and 282 are missing.
The Malawi Defence Force (MDF), the Malawi Police Service and rescue teams are continuing their operations. According to the DoDMA update, the MDF is also airlifting relief items, medical supplies and personnel to places not accessible by road.
In his televised national address last night, after visiting two affected eastern districts of Zomba and Machinga, Malawian President, Lazarus Chakwera, said, some foreign missions, governments, local and international organisations, companies and individuals have responded to his appeal for support, after he declared a state of disaster in the affected districts and cities.
He appealed for more humanitarian support, saying, the situation in the camps and areas affected by the storm is dire.
The country’s Ministry of Education extended the suspension of schools in the southern region until Mar 31, as about 230 schools have been turned into holding camps for internally displaced people.
Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi’s southern districts hard, from last Sunday night through Tuesday, causing strong winds, floods and mudslides, and killing hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands in its wake.– NNN-XINHUA