Death toll to rise—DODMA

Seven days after Cyclone Freddy hit the Southern part of Malawi, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has expressed doubt over the possibility of finding those trapped in the mud or swept away by water still alive.

Speaking yesterday at Chileka International Airport before departure to assess the situation in Nsanje, Dodma commissioner Charles Kalemba said Malawi Defence Forces soldiers and the police, with assistance from a search and rescue team from the UK and South Africa, have been deployed to help recover and rescue people using boats and high-quality equipment.

He said: “Seven days have passed, so chances are getting slim of finding people trapped in the mud or washed away by water alive. Some of the areas have already started stinking, meaning that bodies are still there.

“With the rescue team around, by the end of business today [Monday], the number of deaths might shoot to close to 1 000. Yesterday in Soche and Chilobwe alone, they found 14 bodies.”

So far, Dodma said the death toll has risen from 438 to 476 with 918 injured and 349 others missing. 

The number of displaced people is at 490 098 with 533 camps set up in the 12 affected districts to accommodate them.

However, all is not lost. In its update on social media, the UK High Commission said its search and rescue team has successfully rescued 123 individuals.

The commission said 16 were babies, 62 children and 45 adults, who had been stranded and without water or food for five days in Chikwawa.

So far, the search and rescue teams are using sniffer dogs, but according to Kalemba, the challenge is that some areas are yet to be reached as the operation using helicopters only started three days ago.

But he was upbeat that in the next three days, all areas, including Makhanga in Nsanje, Makhuwira in Chikwawa and some parts of Phalombe, will be reached using the helicopters.

Apart from the search and rescue operations, the teams are also distributing relief items and transporting medics who are providing medical services in areas which are hardly accessible by road.

Kalemba said apart from the K1.6 billion that the Treasury released last week, the department is also receiving donations such as food, non-food items as well as cash.

“So far, we have received from the Chinese Government, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, local and international organisations, as well as the corporate world, among other well-wishers,” he said.

Yesterday, the Mozambican Government also donated 40 000 litres of jet fuel to help in refuelling the helicopters that are helping in the Cyclone Freddy disaster relief interventions.