Be

Cyclone Favio strikes Mozambique

A tropical cyclone has struck central Mozambique with strong winds destroying houses and uprooting trees and pylons.

Cyclone Favio made landfall in the central province of Inhambane near the town of Vilanculos and is heading inland towards the city of Beira.

Winds are reported to be in the range of 100mph-130mph (160km/h-200km/h).

The country is still struggling to cope with the effects of recent floods. An estimated 120,000 Mozambicans have already been driven from their homes.

Travel warning

"It's dangerous for people. They have to close their windows, doors and they have to look for safer places and avoid being under trees," said Helder Sueia from the meteorological office.

"[Favio] is a category four cyclone... It's a very strong cyclone."

The cyclone is expected to lose much of its power over land, but the fear is that heavy rainfall may add to severe flooding in Mozambique, says the BBC's Adam Mynott.

The Mozambican authorities are on high alert, and thousands of volunteers are on stand-by to help move people to the relative safety of communal buildings, such as schools and churches.

The UK's Foreign Office has advised against all travel to the tourist islands around Bazaruto, as well as low-lying coastal areas.

The cyclone passed through Bazaruto but there is no word yet of its effect there. There have also been storms as far south as Xai Xai.

The government in Mozambique has been praised for its response to the recent crisis, says the BBC's southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles.

It has been far better prepared than it was seven years ago when hundreds of people lost their lives during the worst floods in the country's history.

Experts tracking the expected path of Cyclone Favio over the past week think it is unlikely to badly affect the flooded areas around the Zambezi river, but they emphasise that cyclones are highly unpredictable.

Labels: cyclone + favio + mozambique

posted by ... @ 11:00 AM