Cyclone Idai: Death toll rises to 65 in Zimbabwe

The death toll from Cyclone Idai which ravaged Zimbabwe earlier this week rose to 65, officials confirmed on Sunday.

However, the number of people missing is unclear as an entire village in Chimanimani East district was swept away due to flash floods triggered by torrential rains, said Joshua Sacco, a lawmaker from the affected area.

"We are talking about the loss of lives, at the moment 65 deaths have been confirmed," Sacco told Anadolu Agency.

Stressing that death toll could rise in the coming days, Sacco said: "We are worried about an area called Copper where Rusitu and Nyahode Rivers meet and that's where the whole police camp and several government houses were swept away. We don't know where those workers are."

Rescue efforts have been challenging owing to the inclement weather and Zimbabwean military forces are being forced to use road transport for providing immediate aid, despite facing challenges and dangers of encountering several damaged bridges.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has cut short his visit to the UAE due to the ensuing crisis and is closely monitoring the situation.

Cyclone Idai has left a trail of destruction in eastern Zimbabwe, with flash floods sweeping away houses and destroying trees and crops.

The tropical cyclone which made landfall first in Mozambique on Thursday evening, spread to Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa affecting millions of people in the region.

Farmers in the affected areas said that massive losses have been recorded as agricultural fields have been inundated, destroying crop plantations.

In Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa, more than 100 people died in the torrential rains owing to Cyclone Idai, affecting nearly 8,50,000 people across south-eastern Africa, according to reports.