Hundreds of people have been rendered homeless in Ntcheu following stormy rains which destroyed houses and property and injuring five other people in the process.
The incident occurred on the night of November 9, 2017 in traditional authorities Ganya and Makwangwala and on the night of November 10, 2017 in T.A.
Njolomole where houses were destroyed and property damaged.
A report by district civil protection committee indicated that 360 households were affected in the three TAs.
Ganya is the most affected area according to the report where 163 households from Muuso 2, Kampheko and Tchale villages collapsed or had roofs blown off by the stormy rains.
At Nsiyaludzu in T.A. Makwangwala, 120 households were affected and 77 households from Khomba Village in TA Njolomole were also affected.
The heavy rains which started around 8:00 pm on the night of November 9, 2017 according to Village headwoman Muuso 3 and lasted for about two hours, left three people injured in T.A. Ganya and two others got injured in T.A. Njolomole.
The victims were treated as outpatients according to the report.
District Commissioner for Ntcheu, Smart Gwedemula, described the situation as pathetic.
“It is a pathetic situation to see houses destroyed and rendering the communities destitute. We are trying our best as a district to see how we can assist the affected families,” said Gwedemula.
When Malawi News Agency (Mana) visited the affected villages together with members of the district civil protection committee after the incident, pieces of iron sheets were seen some metres away in the fields from the blown off houses.
Some trees in the affected villages had their branches cut off due to the impact of the stormy rains.
Davie Macheka, one of the victims, told MANA his two children sustained different injuries during the incident and had to rush with them to Ganya Health Centre where they were treated as outpatients.
Apart from destroying houses and property, the rains also destroyed classroom blocks in the three TAs, thereby disturbing learners in the affected schools.