The number of deaths from the storms and floods in central and northern Mozambique so far this year has reached 150, according to Casimiro Abreu, deputy director of the country's relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC).
The previous figure for fatalities, released a week ago, was 117. Abreu warned that the death toll could rise in the coming days, since more lifeless bodies are being discovered as the flood waters recede.
Abreu was speaking on Monday at a ceremony where the INC received a donation from the Japanese embassy.
He said that the province worst hit was Zambezia where so far 68 bodies have been recovered. Abreu put the number of people affected by the floods at about 150,000.
The Japanese donation consisted of tents and tarpaulins valued at 130,000 US dollars. The ambassador, Akira Mizutani declared “the Japanese government took prompt and immediate action, and decided to donate emergency humanitarian assistance to the Mozambican people”.
He hoped these goods would complement the efforts of the Mozambican government to mitigate the effects of the disasters which have struck the central and northern provinces.
Abreu thanked the ambassador for the gift. “The Japanese have always been our partners in various sectors of activity, and particularly in disaster management”, he said.
The representative in Mozambique of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Katsuyoshi Sudo, said that Japan has experienced similar situations and is well aware of the pain and suffering caused by natural disasters.
Wednesday 4 February 2015
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