Africa-Press – Mozambique. Seven people have died in the electrical storms that hit the central Mozambican province of Sofala this week.
According to the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD), 342 households were affected by the Sofala storms, and seven people died, all of them because of lightning strikes.
The storms destroyed about 100 houses, built of flimsy materials, while 50 classrooms were damaged.
In the neighbouring province of Tete, in Mutarara district, 200 households were driven out of their homes by the torrential rains.
The local authorities have urged people living in flood prone areas, nears the banks of the Zambezi, Shire and Ngoma rivers to move to higher ground as the level of the rivers continues to rise.
In preparation for impending floods, the INGD has activated emergency operational centres and is warning the public through community radios and other media.
The National Meteorology Institute (INAM) has warned that heavy rains will continue in the central and northern provinces for the next few days. In some parts of Niassa, Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces more than 75 millimetres of rain is expected to fall within 24 hours. INAM has called on the public to take precautions, particularly in flood-prone areas.
