Cyclone Idai: Death toll could soar above 1,000 as need for humanitarian aid grows
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Fears are rising that the death toll from Cyclone Idai could soar when bodies are revealed as flood waters begin to recede in parts of Mozambique on Friday, The number of deaths could climb beyond the 1,000 predicted by the country's president earlier this week, said Elhadj As Sy, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies In addition to worries about the number of dead, Mr As Sy told the Associated Press that the humanitarian needs are great. Pedro Matos, emergency coordinator for the World Food Program, said that what rescuers are seeing now is "sometimes it's just a hut completely surrounded by water". "If islands are big enough, we can even see smoke coming out, meaning that they're cooking," he said, adding that it remains "super difficult" to estimate a death toll or even the number of missing. She said she and neighbours in their home near the beach hurried their many children away but "we lost some of them."