MAPUTO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Tropical Cyclone Chido, which hit northern Mozambique on Sunday, has left 15 people dead and about 172,000 homeless, according to the country's National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).
In addition, 5,832 houses were destroyed, said Luisa Meque, president of the INGD, while speaking to the press in the Memba District in Nampula province on Monday.
"We also received information that 69 boats are missing, and 102 boats were destroyed here in the Memba District," she said, adding that the cyclone's impact is still being monitored.
The damage extends to the electricity supply. The Mozambique Electricity said in a statement that about 200,000 customers are without electricity in the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado due to the cyclone's effects.
Tropical Cyclone Chido, bringing heavy rains and strong winds, hit the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa before weakening into a moderate tropical storm, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM).
The storm's epicenter moved to Malawi but is expected to affect the central provinces of Tete, Zambezia, and Manica, with winds of 70 km/h and gusts of up to 100 km/h, said Acacio Tembe, a meteorologist with the INAM.
The national response to the disaster is ongoing, with teams on the ground assessing damages and providing support to affected populations.
