'Is everything I'm trying to do pointless? ': Syrians helpless in face of 'sham' election Brother of journalist detained in Myanmar says family is hopeful Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs Residents stand near stalls along a road amidst debris while strong winds batter Balasore district in Odisha state on May 26, 2021 as Cyclone Yaas barrels towards India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speak as they walk in the grounds of The Presidential Palace in Kigali on May 27, 2021, after their press conference and prior to their official luncheon. - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Rwanda on May 27, 2021, for a highly symbolic visit aimed at moving on from three decades of diplomatic tensions over France's role in the 1994 genocide in the country. Macron is the first French leader since 2010 to visit the East African nation, which has long accused France of complicity in the killing of some 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Relative of detained Iranian-Americans fears they will not survive This image made available by International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Monday March 18, 2019, shows an aerial view from a helicopter of flooding in Beira, Mozambique. The Red Cross says that as much as 90 percent of Mozambique's central port city of Beira has been damaged or destroyed by tropical Cyclone Idai. (CNN) — As many as “300 to 400” bodies line the banks of a road out of the city of Beira in Mozambique, according to an eyewitness account, and flood waters have formed an inland ocean that is visible from outer space. The harrowing scene, described by Zimbabwean Graham Taylor, suggests that the human toll of Cyclone Idai is likely to far exceed official estimates. It follows reports from aid agencies on the ground detailing how entire villages and towns have been completely flooded in the wake of last Thursday’s high-end Category 2 storm. Taylor said the bodies were located on a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) track of highway, where flood waters had created an inland ocean, submerging entire villages around a “densely populated” sugar cane plantation. The area is a mere fraction of the land in the southeast African nation left flooded after two major rivers burst their banks in the days following the storm. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that the destruction left by the cyclone is “worse than we imagined” and warned that the humanitarian needs “will tragically only deepen in the coming weeks.” In a statement, IFRC said that flooding creates ideal conditions for disease outbreaks. “Already, some cholera cases have been reported in Beira along with an increasing number of malaria infections among people trapped by the flooding,” read the statement. Flooding is so extreme in Buzi, central Mozambique, that the water can be seen in satellite images from outer space. European Space Agency An image of the flooding from the European Space Agency. The area is home to some 200,000 people, and CNN spoke to survivors arriving at Praia Nova by boat on Friday. One man, Abias Felipe, had arrived from the flooded village of Chikezana after surviving the cyclone. “It broke everything – there’s nothing left there,” he told CNN, adding that rescue teams had started to arrive in the area. “They’re starting to come but there’s still a lot of people trapped in their homes,” said Felipe. “They say there’s a lot more rain to come today and tomorrow.” On Friday 700 survivors from Buzi gathered at the Escola Secundaria Samora Machel school in Beira after they were rescued. At a press conference in Beira, Mozambique Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário said the official number of people killed in Mozambique had climbed to 293, adding that “we believe that figure will rise.” More than one week on from the storm’s initial impact, the United Nations confirmed that 259 lives were lost in Zimbabwe and 56 in Malawi. But information has been slow to emerge and communication with affected areas remains limited. On Monday, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said that “everything indicates that we can have a record of more than 1,000 dead” – a figure that some experts now believe could be conservative. The mortuary at the central hospital in Beira “is full and dozens of bodies need to be removed and handled in a dignified way,” according to ICRC. Beira is still flooded, which makes it impossible to bury bodies, ICRC said. It is premature to say how many people have died while affected areas remain inaccessible, Stephen Fonseca, regional forensics manager at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told CNN. On Friday morning ICRC set up a new base in Chimoio, near the border with Zimbabwe. Fonseca said identifying victims is “a monumental task” that will take months or years rather than days or weeks. “The agony of not knowing what happened to your loved one in a disaster like Cyclone Idai is indescribable,” Diane Araujo, an ICRC delegate deployed to Beira, said in a statement. Araujo said the ICRC is sending staff to Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to help families who don’t have access to phone or internet find their missing relatives. About 1.7 million people are affected by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, according to UNICEF. “The situation on the ground remains critical,” said Christophe Boulierac, UNICEF spokesperson in Geneva, describing the scene in Beira.”There is no electricity or running water.” Thousands of people are congregating in informal camps in desperate conditions, according to UNICEF representative Marco Luigi Corsi, who has traveled to affected areas. Eyewitness account Taylor, 62, who has lived in Mozambique for 10 years, became stranded on Saturday on the highway to Zimbabwe from Beira, where Cyclone Idai made landfall, after flood waters one-meter high blocked the road.<doc-sep>A deadly tropical cyclone has destroyed as much as 90 per cent of the Mozambique city of Beira, raising fears for more than 500,000 people. Cyclone Idai brought devastation to the major coastal city of half a million people on Thursday night with winds of up to 106 mph, before moving to Zimbabwe and Malawi, Red Cross said. The damage was “massive and horrifying”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) said after surveying the worst-hit areas via helicopter. Images on social media and local television showed billboards and rooftops blown off, trees snapped and electricity cables left fallen in the city’s streets. President Filipe Nyusi said he believed the storm could be the deadliest to hit the southeast African country, adding that it was “a real disaster of great proportions”. Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Residents are on a roof surrounded by flooding in Beira, Mozambique AFP/Getty Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Chimanimani locals walk near one of the many roads that have been damaged by Cyclone Idai EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Praia Nova in Beira, Mozambique that has been devastated in Cyclone Idai EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Submerged area of Praia Nova in Beira, Mozambique EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Praia Nova in Beira, Mozambique that has been devastated in Cyclone Idai EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Locals stand beside a damaged section of road between Beira and Chimoio in Mozambique AFP/Getty Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Pylons and telegraph poles amidst the flooded area outside Beira in Mozambique AFP/Getty Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Praia Nova in Beira, Mozambique that has been devastated in Cyclone Idai Reuters Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Damaged sports arena in the Ponta Gea area of Beira, Mozambique EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Submerged area of Bozi in the south of Beira, Mozambique AFP/Getty Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures A young man sits in front of destroyed settlements in Beira, Mozambique EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Residents carry their belongings through a flooded section of Praia Nova in Beira EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures A man searches through the rubble in Beira, Mozambique EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Residents walk through a flooded area of Beira, Mozambique EPA Cyclone wipes out 90% of city in Mozambique: in pictures Locals queue to receive aid during search and rescue operations in the wake of Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe AFP/Getty Appearing on state radio, he described seeing “bodies floating” in the water after two rivers broke their banks and “wiped out entire villages”. He said he expected the death toll, which currently stands at 84, to rise significantly to more than 1,000 deaths. The United Nations’ humanitarian office said on Friday that electricity and communications in the city had been cut off by the cyclone. It also warned of devastation outside Beira, in particular of livestock and crops, adding that the damage took place just before the main harvest season, which could exacerbate food insecurity in the region. In February 2000, Cyclone Eline also made landfall near Beira during a period of intense rain, killing hundreds and displacing 650,000 across the wider region. With the latest disaster also leaving thousands missing or displaced, Amnesty International is calling on foreign governments and regional leaders to ramp up rescue efforts. Muleya Mwananyanda, deputy regional director for southern Africa, said the international community must provide the necessary aid resources to save lives and provide relief to those affected. ✕ Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events “As the effects of climate change intensify, these extreme weather conditions can be expected to revisit us more frequently,” she said. “The devastation wrought by Cyclone Idai is yet another wake-up call for the world to put in place ambitious climate change mitigation measures.” “Regional leaders and governments of wealthier countries must support effective early-warning systems, disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation strategies to save lives and protect human rights.” Additional reporting by AP<doc-sep>Andrew Meldrum Associated Press JOHANNESBURG – More than 1,000 people were feared dead in Mozambique four days after a cyclone slammed into the country, submerging entire villages and leaving bodies floating in the floodwaters, the nation’s president said. “It is a real disaster of great proportions,” President Filipe Nyusi said. Cyclone Idai could prove to be the deadliest storm in generations to hit the southeast African country of 30 million people. It struck Beira, an Indian Ocean port city of a half-million people, late Thursday and then moved inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi with strong winds and heavy rain. But it took days for the scope of the disaster to come into focus in Mozambique, which has a poor communication and transportation network and a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy. Speaking on state Radio Mozambique, Nyusi said that while the official death toll stood at 84, “It appears that we can register more than 1,000 deaths.” U.N. agencies and the Red Cross helped rush emergency food and medicine by helicopter to the stricken countries. Mount Chiluvo in central Mozambique was badly hit by flooding. One resident said he heard a loud noise, like an explosion, and suddenly saw a river of mud rolling toward his home. “I was indoors with my children, but when we looked we saw mud coming down the road towards the houses and we fled,” Francisco Carlitos told Lusa, the Portuguese News Agency. The family lost their home and possessions but safely reached higher ground. The country’s president, who cut short a visit to neighboring Swaziland over the weekend because of the disaster, spoke after flying by helicopter over Beira and two rural provinces, where he reported widespread devastation. “The waters of the Pungue and Buzi rivers overflowed, making whole villages disappear and isolating communities, and bodies are floating,” Nyusi said. Emergency officials cautioned that while they expect the death toll to rise significantly, they have no way of knowing if it will reach the president’s estimate. The Red Cross said 90 percent of Beira was damaged or destroyed. The cyclone knocked out electricity, shut down the airport and cut off access to the city by road. The destruction in Beira is “massive and horrifying,” said Jamie LeSueur, who led a Red Cross team that had to assess the damage by helicopter because of the flooded-out roads. More than 215 people were killed by the storm in the three countries, including 89 in Zimbabwe, according to official figures. Hundreds more were reported missing. Mozambique is a long, narrow country with a 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) coastline along the Indian Ocean. It is prone to cyclones and tropical storms this time of year.<doc-sep>It was my son's birthday on 14 March and we were all at home. In the morning this strong storm started and it was moving the city, the trees, and the houses.<doc-sep>
The devastating cyclone that hit south-eastern Africa may be the worst ever disaster to strike the southern hemisphere, according to the UN. Cyclone Idai has swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe over the past few days, destroying almost everything in its path, causing devastating floods, killing and injuring thousands of people and ruining crops. More than 2.6 million people could be affected across the three countries, and the port city of Beira, which was hit on Friday and is home to 500,000 people, is now an “island in the ocean”, almost completely cut off. The official death tolls in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi are 200, 98 and 56 respectively. But these totals only scratch the surface; the real toll may not be known for many months as the countries deal with a still unfolding disaster. Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, announced three days of national mourning late on Tuesday and said his government would declare a national emergency. The country has been hit by cyclones and floods before. The most devastating in recent memory were in 2000, but these could be even worse. Houses, roads and telegraph poles are completely submerged. The Mozambican and South African military and other organisations are working to rescue people from the air, though many are struggling to get supplies and teams to the region because roads and bridges have been ripped up or have huge sinkholes in them. 01:48 Cyclone Idai leaves trail of destruction in southern Africa – video report Some people are stranded clinging to trees; others are on houses or “new islands” that have formed, and have no food, according to rescue workers. “Sometimes we can only save two out of five; sometimes we rather drop food and go to someone else who’s in bigger danger,” Ian Scher from Rescue SA told AFP. “We just save what we can save and the others will perish.” A pilot doing a survey for Mission Aviation Fellowship flew over the basin of Buzi river in Mozambique, which had burst its banks, and was able to provide the first information on the area. “It was a heartbreaking flight today as we flew over many miles of flooded land in the Buzi River basin. We saw many people stranded on roof tops surrounded by kilometres of water. It was difficult to comprehend and think about that probably many have perished,” Rick Emenaker told the South African site Lowvelder. Drone footage of Praia Nova village after Cyclone Idai made landfall in Sofala province, central Mozambique. Photograph: Care/EPA With the first flight leaving on Sunday and one mobile network, Movitel, just restored, more details are beginning to emerge of what happened in Beira when the cyclone hit. “It is a total mess here. Please pray for the thousands and thousands who have lost their homes,” said Jill Lovell, an Australian who runs a mission school in Beira, in an emailed message. “People are in trees and on rooftops. Emergency relief crews are slowly coming in. Rains continue to make it all even harder. So many lives lost and homes destroyed.” A satellite image of Cyclone Idai tracked over Mozambique on 15 March. Photograph: Meteosat-11/EUMETSAT The Red Cross managed to get one truck containing chlorine tablets and 1,500 tarpaulins and tools to make shelters into Beira before it was cut off. Another was diverted to Manica, while the Red Cross is also trying to bring in more supplies from the island of Réunion by boat. The World Food Programme managed to get food supplies in and is doing airdrops to stranded people. “Where there was land, there’s now sea. The city itself is completely cut off. It’s really an island now in the ocean,” said Matthew Cochrane of the Red Cross, adding that an emergency appeal would be launched to raise an initial 10m Swiss francs to provide mostly shelter and clean water. 00:23 Aerial footage shows Cyclone Idai devastation in Mozambique – video Health is a major worry and the risk of outbreaks of cholera and typhoid is high, especially as there are reports that water pipelines to the city have been cut. Mark Ellul, a British doctor who was in Beira when the cyclone hit, said conditions at the central hospital, next to the sea in the middle of the city, had already been bad and it had been operating at full capacity when the storm hit.