Tropical Cyclone Freddy has killed at least 326 people after it ripped through southern Malawi, according to the country’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs.
One of the hardest-hit areas is Chilowe, a township near the city of Blantyre. Located below a hill, the township saw water gushing down from above on Sunday night.
Authorities say over 30 people from the area have died and dozens remain missing as search and rescue efforts continue, CNN reported.
People could be seen on Monday using shovels, even bare hands, to search for the people in the rubble, the publication added.
The Malawi Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change said Tuesday that the cyclone was “weakening but will continue to cause torrential rains associated with windy conditions in most parts of Southern Malawi districts.”
Charles Kalemba, a commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs agency, told CNN Tuesday that the situation had worsened in southern Malawi.
Malawi’s Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services warned Monday that “the threat of damaging winds and heavy flooding remains very high.”
Kalemba added that an improvement in weather was expected from Wednesday.
In Mozambique, at least 10 people were killed and 13 injured in the Zambezia province, according to state broadcaster Radio Mozambique, citing the National Institute of Disaster Risk Management.
Cyclone Freddy has broken records for the longest-lasting storm of its kind after making landfall in Mozambique for a second time, more than two weeks after the first.
More than 22,000 people have been displaced by the tropical storm, according to Radio Mozambique.