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Cyclone Chido death toll in Mozambique rises to 94

December 22, 2024

Some 620,000 Mozambicans were affected by the storm, with most of the devastation taking place in the troubled region of Cabo Delgado.

Cyclone Chido devastates Mozambique
Mozambique was the second-most affected region after the Mayotte archipelagoImage: UNICEF MOZAMBIQUE/via REUTERS

The death toll from Cyclone Chido in Mozambique climbed to 94, according to the country's disaster management agency.

Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique a week ago. Although the most devastated region after Chido's impact was the Mayotte archipelago, Mozambique was the second-most affected.

In particular, the storm ravaged the northern province of Cabo Delgado with gusts of around 260 kilometers (160 miles) per hour, battering the area with 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain in a day.

Some 620,000 Mozambicans were affected by the storm, with more than 500,000 of them concentrated in the area of Cabo Delgado.

Experts say Cyclone Chido's strength and its effects were made more intense by human-driven climate change.

Mozambique still reels from political unrest

Cabo Delgado is regularly ravaged by tropical storms but is also battling with unrest from a long-running Islamist insurgency.

The devastation from Cyclone Chido comes as Mozambique was still reeling from political unrest following post-election violence where at least 130 people were killed.

Daniel Chapo, ruling Frelimo party's presidential candidate, visited the affected areas on Sunday.

His win at the ballot box in October triggered the unrest, as it was denounced by the opposition as fraudulent.

Chapo urged citizens across the country to donate food and clothes to the victims of the cyclone.

"Even if we are using them, our brothers need them," he urged.

jcg/kb (AFP, Reuters)

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