Mozambique: Beira port ’90 pct damaged or destroyed’, claims Red Cross

The Red Cross claims that as much as 90 percent of Mozambique's central port city of Beira has been damaged or destroyed by tropical Cyclone Idai. The death toll in the country and neighbouring Zimbabwe rose to 157.

Officials with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on March 18 that Beira has been severely battered by the cyclone which cut off electricity and road access to the city of 500,000. The city's airport has been closed by the storm.

Cyclone Idai first hit Beira last week and then moved inland spreading heavy winds and rainfall to Zimbabwe and Malawi. Red Cross and government officials estimate that more than 150 people have been killed by the storm, hundreds more are missing and more than 1.5 million people have been affected by the widespread destruction and flooding.

"The situation is terrible. The scale of devastation is enormous, the IFRC's Jamie LeSueur was quoted as saying in the statement. Almost everything is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed. Some affected communities are not accessible," LeSueur said.

With inputs from agencies.