Maputo, March 11 (BNA) At least seven people were killed when tropical cyclone Gombe in the early morning made landfall in Mozambique today, Friday, with winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (125 miles per hour) that hit the northern and central regions of the country. President Felipe Nyusi said. .
The South African country is struggling to recover from a series of devastating cyclones that have killed dozens and displaced thousands, Reuters said.
“I have briefed President Ramaphosa on Tropical Storm Gombe affecting Mozambique since 2 a.m. this morning. Seven people died across Nampula province due to house collapses and other infrastructure collapse,” Nyusi told reporters during a visit to South Africa.
He said the initial damage caused by the storm was in Nampula in northeastern Mozambique. The World Meteorological Organization said Gombe made landfall as an intense Category 3 cyclone, forecasting “devastating winds, rain and storm surge”.
“Weak winds but heavy rains bring the risk of flooding in Mozambique and southern Malawi for several days,” the World Meteorological Organization said in a tweet on Twitter.
According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 3 denotes hurricanes of one minute, with maximum sustained winds between 178 km/h and 207 km/h.
State TVM and private channels broadcast footage showing fallen trees and poorly built mud houses, their roofs torn off by strong winds. Authorities said heavy rains also caused flooding in low-lying areas.
Tropical Storm Anna killed at least 88 people in southern and eastern Africa in January, the latest severe storm to hit a region in southern Africa where millions of poor people face volatile weather conditions blamed on rising temperatures and climate change.
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