APA-Blantyre (Malawi) The death toll from Cyclone Freddy in Malawi rose to 499 on Monday evening as the country’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs said it was still looking for more than 400 others who are missing as a result of floods and mudslides.
The department said some 114,637 households had been displaced as of Monday, “while 499 people have died, 427 are missing, and 841 have sustained various injuries” due to the flooding that has affected the country’s Southern Region since last week.
“Search and rescue of people is continuing in Nsanje and Phalombe districts where people are still believed to be trapped,” it said in a statement.
Some 123 people have so far been rescued while more than 508,200 others have been displaced and are currently being housed at 534 camps that have been set up across the Southern Region, the department said.
The flooding and mudslides have severely damaged public infrastructure such as schools, health facilities and roads in the 14 most affected districts.
JN/APA