Cyclone Idai death toll could reach 1,000 in Mozambique

Muscat: The number of people killed in Mozambique from Tropical Cyclone Idai could reach as high as 1,000, the country's President Filipe Nyusi has said.

The warning comes as rescuers fight to save lives in areas devastated by the Category 4 cyclone, which also left a trail of destruction in the African states of Zimbabwe and Malawi.

According to UNICEF Mozambique, over 1,347 people in the Mozambican cities of Beira and Dondo have been injured. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated 90 percent of the city of Beira and areas around it has been damaged or destroyed by the cyclone.

The scale of destruction is only becoming apparent as rescuers reach the most affected areas, near the border with Mozambique.

Chimanimani district has been cut off from the rest of the country by torrential rains and winds of up to 170 km per hour that swept away roads, homes and bridges and knocked out power and communication lines.

According to the World Food Programme, around 1.5 million people were affected by severe flooding in Malawi and Mozambique alone.

Mozambique's national emergency agency is providing assistance to 3,800 families in accommodation centres in Sofala Province.