Conflicting accounts from the southeast African nation put the number killed at anywhere from dozens to more than 170. Continue...
Gift
of the Givers, an African nongovernmental organization specializing in
disaster response, said Malawi was facing "probably the greatest flood
disaster in the history of its existence."
"The
death toll is expected to rise as it is believed that 183 people have
been swept away from one village alone," the group said. "Massive
destruction to agriculture, roads, bridges and general infrastructure
including power facilities has complicated the situation due to
prolonged power outages."
Malawi President Peter Mutharika on Wednesday put the number of dead at 48.
Declaring a state of emergency in the areas affected, he said an estimated 70,000 people had been forced from their homes.
He appealed for international assistance, saying: "Tents and food are urgently required. Rescue operations are also a priority."
Gift
of the Givers said that 200,000 people had been displaced and 11,000
homes damaged. A day earlier, the U.N. humanitarian affairs agency,
OCHA, put the number displaced at about 100,000.
Medecins
San Frontiers, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said Friday that
around 20,000 people in the country's southern tip "remain cut off from
the rest of the country without food, health care and ways to prevent
possible outbreaks."
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