1.5 million people to be affected by Cyclone Kenneth: UN

Cape Town: Around 1.5 million people in Comoros and Mozambique are expected to be affected by Cyclone Kenneth acdording to a UN spokesperson.

Tropical Cyclone Kenneth is expected to head over the northern tip of the Comoros and continue to northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania, making landfall in Mozambique's Palma District, according to forecast.

At a press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said the entire population of the Comoros -- close to 759,000 people -- is within the Cyclone Kenneth's windspeed zones, with Grand Comore island being the primary concern, citing the UN Satellite Office.

Dujarric added that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 747,000 people in Mozambique live within Cyclone Kenneth's path.

The southeastern African country, together with Zimbabwe and Malawi, was already badly battered by Cyclone Idai last month.

Making landfall in mid-March, Cyclone Idai left more than 1,000 people dead. The World Bank has estimated that the affected countries will need over $2 billion to recover.