Officials have declared a state of emergency for the low-lying area of Muzarabani, which has been devastated by a fortnight of heavy rain.
Roads, bridges and huts have been washed away and more than 900 people are reportedly affected. Â
Officials have appealed for donations of aid and medical supplies, with the Civil Protection Unit and the Red Cross coordinating the relief effort, while the Airforce of Zimbabwe is airlifting scores of villagers marooned by the floods. Â
“Health authorities are expressing fears that water-borne diseases might affect the population,” police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka said. Â
Assessing the destruction was difficult because of damage to provincial infrastructure, officials said. Aerial footage showed floodwaters rising almost to the roofs of huts. Â
Two of the dead were a 13-year-old and another aged two, who were washed away together with their village.  Â
“Some of them that were washed (away) by the flood have not been found,” said Mandipaka. – Chief Reporter
Post published in: News