The death toll from the cyclone that ravaged much of northern Mozambique last week has reached at least 38, official figures released by the government on Monday suggest.
The relief effort to reach affected communities in the north of the country by aid workers has been undermined by torrential rain and strong winds which overwhemled the region from Sunday into Monday.
Since Cyclone Kenneth made landfall last week, Red Cross teams in northern Mozambique have been reporting widespread destruction towns and communities that bore the brunt of the storm.
Kenneth made landfall with wind speeds of up to 231 km per hour – almost the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane.
The Red Cross quoting reports from Quissanga suggests extensive damage to houses, while communication facilities between Macomia and Muidumbe have been down.
Kenneth which dropped some 250mm of water over the weekend – equivalent to about a quarter of average annual rainfall for the region continue to lash the north of the country with heavy rainfall.
CM/as/APA