MAPUTO, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of deaths caused by torrential rains and floods in southern Mozambique has risen to seven, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) announced on Monday.
President of INGD Luisa Meque made the announcement at the Maputo International Airport before flying over to the affected areas in Maputo city and the province of Maputo to monitor the situation caused by heavy rains that hit the southern region of the country since last Tuesday.
So far, preliminary data reveal that in addition to seven deaths, two injures, 37,945 people were affected in the city of Maputo and the province of Maputo, due to the heavy rains that fell between Tuesday and Friday, Meque said.
She also said that 7,554 houses and 15 health units were flooded and two bridges were destroyed in the affected areas.
Located 30 kilometers south of the capital city Maputo, Boane was one of the worst affected districts by heavy rains and discharges from the Pequenos Libombos dam, according to INGD.
Meque said there are support teams on the ground, including volunteers providing assistance to the displaced people.
The basins of the Maputo, Umbeluze and Incomati rivers also record water levels above normal due to rains and the opening of floodgates of the dams in South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, which led to the rising water levels.
