Cyclone Freddy kills over 300 in Africa’s Malawi, those trapped fight for life

Around 300 people lost their lives in the catastrophic damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy that ripped through the southeastern parts of Africa’s Malawi.

The cyclone had killed nearly 326 people, as reported by Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs. As per the authorities, over 30 people from Chilobwe have died and dozens remain missing amid the search and rescue operations. Cyclone Freddy has left survivors trapped, thus fighting for survival.

Earlier this week, rescuers were seen using shovels while searching for the people in the rubble.

“Everything is gone. I was doing a small-scale business selling vegetables because my husband died in 2014. I’ve been supporting the children from the little that I have,” said Dorothy Wachepa, one of the survivors of Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

Dorothy Wachepa, a mother of four told the media that she woke up to a deafening noise “resembling the sound of an aeroplane.” “It was around 12, and I heard the sound accompanied by shouting from people upland,” she further added.

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed his condolences over the loss of lives in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar from Cyclone Freddy. “India stands with you in this tough time,” tweeted PM Modi.

The Malawi Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change said the cyclone was “weakening but will continue to cause torrential rains associated with windy conditions in most parts of Southern Malawi districts”.

In Mozambique, at least 10 people were killed and 13 were injured in the Zambezia province, as per media reports. Freddy may have broken the record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

The World Meteorological Organisation will set up an expert committee to examine this record.