Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique and Zimbabwe over the weekend, causing flash floods and extreme winds.

Idai hit Mozambique late on Thursday before moving on to Zimbabwe.

At the time of writing, authorities confirmed that the death toll in Mozambique is up to 62, while Zimbabwe confirmed the deaths of 65 people.

Hundreds more are unaccounted for, which means that the death toll is likely to rise.

Here’s The Guardian:

“I think this is the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced. Everything is destroyed. Our priority now is to save human lives,” said Mozambique’s environment Minister Celso Correia.

In Zimbabwe, the eastern Chimanimani district was the most affected part of the country, where houses and bridges were washed away by flash floods.

“So far we looking at 65 people that have lost their lives,” Joshua Sacco, lawmaker for Chimanimani said , adding that between “150 to 200 people” were missing.

You can see the flash floods in Zim here:

Aerial footage of Mozambique shows the extent of the damage:

The majority of the people who are unaccounted for in Zimbabwe are thought to be government workers whose housing complex was completely engulfed by the flood.

“We are very worried because all these houses were just suddenly submerged under water and literally washed away and that is where we have about 147 missing,” he [Sacco] said. “It’s very sad and the situation is dire.”

Two pupils at a secondary school in the area were among those killed by the cyclone after a landslide sent a boulder crashing into their dormitory.

More on the destruction here:

Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has declared a state of emergency.

It’s the second tragedy to hit Zimbabwe in as many months. In February, more than 40 illegal gold miners were trapped deep underground following a flash flood.

dai battered central Mozambique on Friday, cutting off more than half a million residents of the port city Beira where the environment minister said 80 percent of the electricity network was destroyed.

“All roads are cut, the infrastructure is destroyed, practically everything is destroyed,” said Correia.

Rescue missions are underway to find the missing people and retrieve the bodies of the dead.

[source:guardian]