Catastrophe in Africa: Hurricane "Idai" has already left at least 732 dead and three million people affected

DPA / Europa Press Agency

At least 732 people have died and hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by the devastating pbadage of the cyclone "Idai". in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, where thousands of hectares were flooded as a result of a storm that devastated homes, severely damaged communications across the region.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross are on alert about the possibility of a cholera outbreak in any of these three countries, whose authorities fear that the death toll will continue to grow. 39; increase in the next hours with the withdrawal of water. .

In Mozambique, 417 dead, 1,400 wounded and 600,000 displaced people since the hurricane that landed on 14 March near the port city of Beira, caused the immediate overflow of the city of Beira. Great rivers of the country, Buzi and Pungue.

Some 17,400 homes have been destroyed or damaged, the number of farmed acres is about 385,000 and the total number of people affected is about 1.8 million people.

In Zimbabwe, where Idai appeared two days later, the death toll is currently 259. 200 people were injured. Most of the victims – out of a total of 250,000 affected – have been identified in the almost devastated populations of Chimanimani and Chipinge.

Finally, in Malawi, the first country where the cyclone appeared, 56 people were killed and 577 were injured. The number of displaced people is about 94,000 and 840,000 are affected.

The cyclone, unlike Zimbabwe and Mozambique, arrived in Malawi, preceded by days of violent storms that weakened the country before the arrival of the phenomenon, which eventually destroyed the populations of Chiwawa and Nsanje. When they left, the storms continued and finished the population.

"The situation will worsen before we begin to improve," said UNICEF High Commissioner Henrietta Fore. "Humanitarian agencies are just beginning to see the extent of the damage, entire cities have been submerged, buildings are collapsing and schools and health centers are being destroyed," he said.

UNICEF remains concerned that floods, overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, stagnant water and contaminated water sources are exposing the population to diseases such as cholera, malaria and diarrhea .