Cyclone Dikeledi kills 5 in Mozambique: Reports

​​​​​​​By Anadolu Staff

Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi claimed five lives in Mozambique’s northern province of Nampula, according to the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD).

INGD chairperson Luísa Meque told reporters Tuesday that the deaths occurred after the walls of the victims’ homes collapsed.

The storm passed through Mozambique this week, destroying 73 classrooms at 35 schools, 2,903 homes, while 6,089 houses were damaged, according to a report by the Information Agency of Mozambique (AIM).

The report said Dikeledi left the Mozambique Channel on Thursday, headed eastwards into the colder waters of the Indian Ocean, making it less of a threat to Mozambique or Madagascar.

Dikeledi claimed three lives last week in Madagascar and displaced more than 5,000 residents when it made passage through the Island.

The damage in Mozambique comes one month after the region was hit by Cyclone Chido, which caused heavy human loss and infrastructure damage in Mozambique, Mayotte, Madagascar and Malawi.

At least 120, people were killed in Mozambique after the Category 4 storm made landfall in Mozambique on Dec. 15, bringing wind speeds of 260 kilometers per hour (160 miles per hour) and 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain in the first 24 hours.

Nearly 900 people were reported to have been injured.

Several residents were left homeless after their homes were damaged by the storm, while infrastructure, including schools and health centers, were also affected.

Chido hit Mayotte on Dec. 14, causing widespread devastation, including the deaths of 35 people, approximately 2,500 injuries and the displacement of up to 100,000 residents, according to authorities.