In Pictures

In Pictures: Cyclone Eloise displaces thousands in Mozambique

Severe winds and heavy rains damaged thousands of buildings, ruined crops and displaced some 7,000 people in Mozambique.

People inspect the damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Eloise in the city of Beira. [Andre Catueira/EPA]

25 Jan 2021

Tropical Cyclone Eloise hit Mozambique’s Sofala coastal province on Saturday morning before weakening and heading inland to dump rain on Zimbabwe, eSwatini – formerly known as Swaziland – and South Africa.

Authorities initially said Eloise had only caused minor damage in Mozambique’s port city of Beira but that it was too early to gauge the full extent of the damage across the rest of the region.

On Sunday, Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) said investigations had shown Eloise had injured 12 people and displaced 6,859. The region’s Buzi district had been particularly hard hit.

Eloise had ruined 136,755 hectares (33,7928 acres) of crops, destroyed nine schools and damaged about 17 other schools and 11 hospitals, INGD said in a statement.

It had completely destroyed 1,069 houses, partially destroyed 3,343 and flooded another 1,500, the agency added.

Eloise later weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

On Sunday it moved on from Zimbabwe to dump heavy rain on some areas of South Africa’s Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, authorities there said. eSwatini also experienced rainfall.

Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall around 2:30am (12:30 GMT) on January 23, with wind speeds of 160 kilometres (99 miles) per hour. [UNICEF/Handout via Reuters]

Residents of Beira's Praia Nova neighbourhood seek shelter from Tropical Cyclone Eloise. Eloise is the second cyclone to hit central Mozambique this season, after Chalane in December. [UNICEF/Handout via Reuters]

People make their way through floodwaters in Beira. The Mozambican port city breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday as Cyclone Eloise caused less damage than feared as it passed through. [AP Photo]

A flooded street in the city of Beira. [Andre Catueira/EPA]

The severe winds and heavy rains have completely destroyed 1,069 houses, according to Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD). [Andre Catueira/EPA]

Aerial view of flooding in Beira in the wake of the cyclone. [Courtesy of Mercy Air via Reuters]

Families from Nharrime took shelter in the Samora Machel school in Beira to escape from the winds and heavy rains. [UNICEF/Handout via AFP]

Mozambique's disaster management body said investigations had shown Eloise had injured 12 people and displaced 6,859. [UNICEF/Handout via AFP]

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