Blantyre, Malawi, Jan. 13 (MaraviPost)-At least eight people were killed Tuesday in the southern district of Mulanje, some 100 kilometres south of the commercial capital, Blantyre, after floods washed them away, a district administration official has confirmed.
One more died when a house fell on him.
“It has been raining for the past week and violent floods from Mulanje Mountain engulfed villages below, sweeping away people, livestock, crops and houses. Unfortunately eight did not survive,” said Mulanje District Planning Officer Grey Mkwanda.
Mkwanda said hundreds of families have been rendered homeless following the floods.
“People have fled into schools and churches on the higher ground, others are in the open for there is not enough space,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Blantyre three people were killed – also on Tuesday – in the high-density township of Chilobwe when their houses were washed away by floods.
“A teacher and his son sadly died,” said Member of Parliament for the area Allan Ngumuya who visited the area.
One more child from another family also died.
Police are also looking for two children who went missing following the floods in Chilobwe, according to police spokeswoman Elizabeth Divala.
MP Ngumuya said the floods washed away whole houses.
“In some cases you cannot believe there was a house here,” he said.
The Mulanje and Blantyre deaths put the total known figure of those who have died following the floods to 21.
In a related development Vice President Saulos Chilima, government officials and journalists failed to fly to the flood-prone southern Lower Shire Valley to inspect the extent of the damage as the military helicopter failed to land at Chileka International Airport due to bad weather.
Reports say thousands of people have been displaced in the valley, which borders Mozambique, following heavy flooding. There has, however, been no reports of deaths in the valley.-maravipost
