10 dead as Tropical Cyclone Gombe hits Mozambique

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - At least 10 people were killed after a tropical cyclone hit northern Mozambique, an official said on Saturday.

Cyclone Gombe made landfall in Mozambique on Friday, with winds exceeding 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour.

The deaths were recorded in the Nampula province as houses and other infrastructure were damaged, Mety Gondola, a provincial official told reporters.

The cyclone also damaged power and communication infrastructure.

In a statement, Mozambique’s electricity company said 20 districts were left without power, affecting some 300,000 people.

Gondola, who led an assessment team in the Nampula province, said various public and private infrastructure such as schools and bridges were damaged and much of the roads were flooded.

Luisa Meque, an official of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction, said relief teams were positioned at critical points to monitor and offer response measures.

The agency said more than 580,000 people, 7,000 schools, 750 health facilities, 77 bridges, 15 sections of roads, among other basic infrastructure, were at risk of being affected.

However, the National Institute of Meteorology said the cyclone weakened during the day and dropped to the stage of a tropical depression. However, it continues to bring heavy rain affecting neighboring provinces.

In January, the southern African country was hit by tropical storm Ana, which killed more than 80 people in Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi.