At least 447 deaths have been recorded as Cyclone Freddy hit southern Malawi, while the number of people displaced has reached 362,928. The country’s disaster management affairs department confirmed the death toll and said 918 people were injured while 282 were missing, Xinhua news agency reported.
Malawi Defense Force (MDF), Malawi Police Service and rescue teams are continuing their operations. As per DoDMA updates, the MDF is also moving relief material, medical supplies and personnel to places where access by road is not possible.
In his televised national address on Saturday evening after visiting the two affected eastern districts of Zomba and Machinga, Malawi’s President Lazar Chakwera said some foreign missions, governments, local and international organisations, companies and individuals after the state declared His appeal for support has been answered. In disaster affected districts and cities
He called for more humanitarian aid, describing the situation in the camps and areas affected by the storm as dire. The country’s education ministry has extended the suspension of schools in the southern region until March 31, as some 230 schools have been turned into camps for internally displaced communities.
Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi’s southern districts hard from Sunday night into Tuesday, triggering strong winds, flooding and mudslides that have killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands.
(With inputs from IANS)
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