Malawi’s government has declared a state of disaster as the death toll from tropical cyclone Freddy has risen to 225.
The country’s disaster management agency said on Wednesday that the death toll has increased from 190 reported on Tuesday.
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs added in a statement that 707 people had been injured in the storm and 41 reported missing.
Heavy rain in several parts of the country has hindered search and rescue efforts, according to officials.
“We have rivers overflowing, we have people being carried away by running waters, we have buildings collapsing,” police spokesman Peter Kalaya told the BBC.
Cyclone Freddy had hit Australia in early February, and has now crossed the Indian Ocean, making landfall on southeastern Africa in late February.
It however returned at the weekend to deliver a second harder blow, impacting Mozambique as well.
Experts have blamed climate change for making the tropical storms around the world more intense.
