Cyclone Freddy kills over 350 in Africa, rescue mission underway

Malawi: More than 350 people have been killed and tens of thousands of others were displaced in southeastern Africa as Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the region. The Cyclone Freddy is one of the longest lasting tropical storms on record and dissipating over land after causing much devastation in the country.

According to Malawi’s disaster management agency, at least 326 people died in flooding and landslides generated by the storm.

President Lazarus Chakwera has declared it a national tragedy and announced a 14-day period of national mourning. He has appealed for international support from the other countries.

In neighboring Mozambique, at least 53 people have also been reported to have died. The death toll may rise as some villages have been completely cut off since the cyclone struck the nation a second time last week. The level of devastation is attributed to the storm’s longevity.

The U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that Freddy became a storm in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia on February 6. It traveled across the entire ocean and made landfall in Madagascar February 2 then swept over the island nation, crossed the Mozambique Channel and initially hit Mozambique on February 24.

The storm then returned to the Indian Ocean, where it strengthened significantly over the warm water and then reversed course to return with much more power, including wind gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour, said WMO.