Update 20 March – Tropical cyclone Idai – which struck Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique – could have been the most devastating ever for the African continent. The three nations are painstakingly counting the damage sustained and, above all, the victims. Already on Tuesday 19 March, Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi had spoken of a possible thousand deaths: according to rescuers – quoted by CNN – 90 per cent of the city of Beira has been destroyed.

So far the total number of confirmed victims across the three nations stands at more than 300. "We have already collected more than 200 bodies," the Mozambican head of state said. In Zimbabwe, likewise, one hundred bodies have been recovered so far, "but the death toll could triple," the French daily Le Monde notes. Overall, the number of people affected in various ways could exceed half a million. Thousands are still awaiting rescue teams, clinging to trees or to the rooftops of houses left standing.

According to Mozambique's environment minister Celson Correia, in the centre of the country an area within a radius of approximately 100 kilometres is completely flooded. In this area alone, 350,000 people are trapped. The situation is not expected to improve, since further heavy rainfall is forecast over the coming days, as highlighted by the World Food Programme, which has begun sending aid to the population.

The humanitarian organisation Amnesty International has issued an appeal to the international community to mobilise in support of the affected regions. But also to combat climate change, "the effects of which are intensifying. In the future we will have to expect increasingly frequent extreme events."

More than 150 people died in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique over the course of the weekend. The cause: the passage of a devastating tropical cyclone, named Idai. The figures – still provisional – were reported on Sunday 17 March by the authorities of the three African nations.

Cyclone Idai death toll still provisional

According to reports in the international press, this is the worst meteorological event since 2000, when cyclone Eline struck Mozambique, causing more than 800 deaths. This time the government of Maputo reported approximately 50 deaths, to which are added the 65 from Zimbabwe. But dozens upon dozens of people remain missing: more than a hundred according to the United Nations, which estimates that, in total, nearly ten thousand people have been affected in various ways by the cyclone.

Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting ✓ @InfoMinZW

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Rescue services, moreover, are still unable to reach some of the affected areas. According to a spokesperson for the Harare government, most of the deaths were recorded in the town of Chimanimani, in the eastern part of the country. Here the fury of the wind, rain and landslides brought down around a hundred houses. One hundred students were rescued by the army from a dormitory. According to state broadcaster Zbc, the roof of the prison in Masvingo, in the south of the African nation, was also torn off.

Mayor of Harare, Jacob Mafume ✓ @JMafume

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Serious humanitarian crisis unfolding in chimanimani chipinge most of our structures comms are down.We need state intervention on a massive scale to avoid biblical disaster ,homes bridges being washed away lives in danger @hwendec @daddyhop
@kwirirayi @nelsonchamisa @mdczimbabwe

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"Poor neighbourhoods completely destroyed"

Cyclone Idai made landfall on the continent during the night between Wednesday the 13th and Thursday the 14th, at the Mozambican port of Beira. With winds of 190 kilometres per hour and numerous waterspouts. The country's fourth city thus found itself flooded, with 500,000 people left without electricity and telephone connections.

The few rescuers who managed to reach the area described unprecedented scenes of destruction: houses flattened, shops flooded, broken glass. Some Red Cross volunteers also reported poor neighbourhoods "completely destroyed".

Central Mozambique has been hit by heavy rainfall since the beginning of March, which even before the passage of cyclone Idai had caused at least 65 deaths. The bad weather also struck southern Malawi, where the death toll stands at 56 victims. To these are added 80,000 people forced to leave their homes.

Read also: 12 years to act or the climate will go haywire

50 dead in Indonesia due to flooding

In Indonesia, moreover, at least 50 people have died as a result of violent flooding that struck the province of Papua. According to the National Disaster Management Agency, the floods were caused by torrential rain that hit the area on Saturday.