Cyclone Chido devastates Mozambique

Cyclone Chido brought strong winds and heavy rain that destroyed buildings in northern Mozambique on Sunday but appeared to lose power as it pushed inland, officials said, after the storm left a trail of death and destruction in France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.

The cyclone slammed into Mozambique's northern coastal provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado early Saturday, damaging buildings and knocking out power to some areas, officials said.

Mozambique's weather office said the storm was expected to bring thunderstorms and strong winds with gusts of up to 260 kilometres (160 miles) per hour to some parts of the provinces.

More than 250 millimetres (10 inches) of precipitation were expected in 24 hours, it said.

'Damage already recorded'

"In Cabo Delgado, damage has already been recorded, such as the collapse of walls and roofs," ActionAid Mozambique said in a statement.

The impact in Nampula's Memba district, around where the cyclone made landfall, was expected to be significant but it was out of contact, the non-government group said.

"Several neighbourhoods in Nampula province are without electricity, which can make it difficult to collect information," it said.

UNICEF said "many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed."

Weakens

It was assessing the impact and would be delivering medicines, water purification supplies and other essentials, it said in a statement.

By the afternoon Chido was travelling over the inland province of Niassa and had weakened, said the president of the National Institute for Risk and Disaster Management, Luisa Meque.

The institute had not been able to reach all regions to assess the situation, she said.

Officials have warned that Chido has a similar intensity to Cyclone Gombe that killed more than 60 people in Mozambique in 2022 and Cyclone Freddy that claimed 86 lives in the country in 2023.

Expected to reach Malawi

Freddy also claimed 326 lives in Malawi, according to UN figures.

Chido is expected to reach Malawi by Monday, bringing significant rainfall to the country which has been suffering from drought. Zimbabwe has also issued an alert for heavy rains associated with the cyclone.

The cyclone killed at least 14 people in Mayotte, authorities said on Sunday, warning it would take days to know the full toll.

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