Cyclone Idai claims more than 122 lives in Malawi, Mozambique: UN

UNITED NATIONS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Tropical cyclone Idai, whose winds and rain have ravaged parts of Malawi and Mozambique for days, has claimed at least 122 lives and affected more than 1 million people, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that flooding caused by Idai "has affected more than 1 million people and caused at least 122 deaths in both Mozambique and Malawi."

The cyclone regained intensity and its center was expected to make landfall in central Mozambique on Thursday evening and was forecast to bring "strong tropical winds, heavy rains and a storm surge to several areas over the next three days," Dujarric said.

"OCHA says that close to 83,000 people are displaced in Malawi, more than 17,000 in Mozambique," he said. "Rapid needs assessments continue in the hardest-hit areas, with Malawian and Mozambican governments leading the humanitarian responses in their respective countries, supported by partners."

Forecasters said the cyclone first formed as a tropical depression on March 4. Enditem