Cyclone Freddy death toll in Africa climbs to 569

By Moses Michael Phiri

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AA) - The death toll from Cyclone Freddy in southeastern Africa has climbed to 569, according to the latest casualty figures.

In Malawi, fatalities now stand at 476, with 918 more people injured and at least 349 missing, the disaster management agency said in an update on Monday.

Some 490,098 displaced people are currently being housed at 533 camps, the agency added.

In neighboring Mozambique, at least 76 people have died and 34 more injured, according to the National Disaster Management Institute.

The cyclone has impacted 540,563 people and destroyed 33,292 houses, read an update released on Monday.

Some 892 schools and 80 healthcare facilities were also affected, as well as more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) of road infrastructure, it added.

Over 64,400 people are living in government-run accommodation centers in six provinces, the agency said.

At least 17 people were killed in the island nation of Madagascar when the cyclone first made landfall on Feb. 21.

Authorities in all three countries are expecting the death toll to swell over the coming days as search and rescue operations continue in dozens of affected areas.