In brief
The death toll from Cyclone Chido in Mozambique has risen to 75, highlighting the extensive devastation in Cabo Delgado province, already marred by an insurgent conflict. The cyclone has destroyed buildings and left countless individuals affected, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in one of the world's poorest nations.
The death toll from Cyclone Chido’s devastation in Mozambique has risen to 75, the government reported on Friday, marking almost a doubling of the previous figure as rescue workers reached areas severed by the cyclone's destruction. The cyclone made landfall earlier this week in Cabo Delgado province, a region already grappling with lasting turmoil from a yearslong insurgency supported by the Islamic State.Cyclone Chido has reportedly killed at least 69 people in Cabo Delgado and injured 740, according to Mozambique’s National Institute for Natural Disasters. As rescue teams navigated through treacherous dirt roads washed out by the cyclone, reports of fatalities emerged from remote areas, particularly in the district of Mecufi, where the majority of structures are now in ruins. “Utter destruction is the only way to describe what I saw,” stated Isadora Zoni of the United Nations’ refugee agency after assessing Mecufi and surrounding regions. Images shared by Ms. Zoni revealed the catastrophic scale of the disaster, with mud homes and wooden structures reduced to debris, as well as a maternity clinic stripped of its roof and school buildings turned to rubble.The conflict in Cabo Delgado had already displaced hundreds of thousands, and reports suggest that the storm has now adversely affected at least 10,000 individuals living in temporary shelters in the Chiure district. Ms. Zoni expressed concern that the people, already struggling from ongoing conflict, now face dire challenges from climate-related catastrophes.Cyclone Chido struck with fierce winds reaching 115 miles per hour, categorizing it similarly to a Category 3 hurricane in coastal America. It also battered the French archipelago of Mayotte, resulting in a documented toll of at least 31 deaths, with fears of more casualties.After making landfall in Mozambique, the cyclone continued eastward, dissipating over Zimbabwe. The UN Refugee Agency has cautioned that Cyclone Chido could mark the beginning of a severe rainy season historically linked to cyclones and significant flooding in the area. In recent years, Mozambique has faced increasing displacement due to extreme weather, with nearly 140,000 people uprooted in recent years due to natural disasters. Aurelien Breeden contributed to this report. Lynsey Chutel is a Times journalist focusing on breaking news throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
