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Cyclone, flooding cause widespread damage across Southern Africa

Death toll rises to 215 as the cyclone tore through Malawi into central Mozambique before hitting Zimbabwe.

A man looks at a washed away bridge along Umvumvu river following Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo
A bridge on the Umvumvu River was washed away following the cyclone Idai in Chimanimani district, Zimbabwe. [Mhilimon Bulawayo/Reuters]
Published On 19 Mar 2019

Cyclone Idai has left a trail of destruction in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi – with the overall death toll rising to 215.

Hundreds of people are missing, while more than 1.5 million people have been affected across the three Southern African countries.

At least 126 people were killed in Mozambique and Malawi. As on Monday, Zimbabwe’s information ministry put the number of dead at 89 in the country.

Most of the deaths in Mozambique happened in the central port city of Beira, 90 percent of which was destroyed, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi feared the death toll could rise to 1,000 in the country.

In Zimbabwe, the cyclone tore through the eastern and southern parts, creating a humanitarian crisis. The Chimanimani district has been cut off from the rest of the country by torrential rains and winds that swept away roads and bridges knocking out power and communication lines.

Nomatter Ncube and her kids sit beside their washed away family home following Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani district, Zimbabwe, March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo
Nomatter Ncube, pictured with her children, had her family home in Chimanimani destroyed by a flash flood. [Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters]
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A man stands next to the wreckage a vehicles washed away on March 18, 2019 in Chimanimani, eastern Zimbabwe, after the area was hit by the cyclone Idai. - A cyclone that ripped across Mozambique and
Widespread destruction caused by flash floods in Chimanimani. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]
An aerial view shows flooded land in Bangula in the Nsanje district of southern Malawi, on March 15, 2019. - At least 56 people have died in flood-hit areas as of March 13, according to the government
Malawi was the first country to be affected. This aerial view shows flooded land in Bangula, Nsanje district of southern Malawi. [Amos Gumulira/AFP]
A displaced old woman prepares a fire for cooking at the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) camp for people displaced by flash floods from recent heavy rains on March 14, 2019
More than 83,000 people have been displaced in Malawi by the flash floods. [Amos Gumulira/AFP]
A girl fetches water from a river created by flood water near Nsusa Village Island camp for displaced people due to the floods in the Nsanje district of southern Malawi, on March 15, 2019. - At least
At least 56 people have died in flood-hit areas in Malawi, according to government sources. [Amos Gumulira/AFP]
This handout picture taken and released on March 18, 2019 by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) shows damages in Beira, Mozambique, in the aftermath of the passage of the cyclone Idai. - A
The cyclone that ripped through Mozambique caused 'massive and horrifying' destruction in Beira, according to authorities and the Red Cross. [De'borah Nguyen/WFP/AFP]
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A displaced family from Beira pose for a photograh as they take shelter in a structure on March 19, 2019. - More than a thousand people are feared to have died in a cyclone that smashed into Mozambiqu
President Filipe Nyusi fears the death toll could rise to 1,000 in Mozambique in the wake of cyclone Idai. [Emidio Josine/AFP]
This handout picture taken and released on March 18, 2019, by the Mission Aviation Fellowship shows people on a roof surrounded by flooding in an area affected by Cyclone Idai in Beira. - A cyclone th
People on the roof of a submerged house in an area affected by cyclone Idai in Beira. The Red Cross said 90 percent of Beira and its surrounds are 'damaged or destroyed'. [Rick Emenaket/Mission Aviation Fellowship/AFP]