600,000 people affected Weeks of continuous rain flood Mozambique
Mozambique has been hit by heavy rain showers for three weeks. 600,000 inhabitants of the African country have been affected and 50 people have died.
20.01.2026, 23:27
SDA
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- Mozambique is suffering from a severe flood disaster.
- 600,000 people have been affected and 50 are said to have already died.
- The capital's main road, which is essential for the country's infrastructure, is no longer passable.
- For the time being, there is no improvement in sight.
The African coastal state of Mozambique is experiencing one of the worst flood disasters in decades. Heavy rainfall since the end of December has caused flooding in the south of the country on the east coast of Africa, affecting more than 600,000 people.
At least 50 people have lost their lives, according to the country's disaster agency, as reported by the European Commission's Emergency Coordination Center.
Further rainfall, some of it very heavy, is expected in the south of the country over the next 24 hours, it added. The provinces of Gaza, Maputo, Inhambane and Sofala are particularly affected.
Road to the capital Maputo impassable
Around 78,200 people are still staying in emergency shelters and thousands of houses have been destroyed. Health facilities and important infrastructure were severely affected, said Paola Emerson, head of the UN emergency aid office OCHA in Mozambique.
90 percent of the country's population lived in mud houses, which "practically melted after a few days of rain", said Emerson. Around 5000 kilometers of roads in nine provinces were damaged. The main road connecting the capital Maputo with the rest of the country was impassable.
Disaster agency warns of historic floods
The Limpopo River has burst its banks and flooded several places. The Mozambican media reported that all 14 sluices at the Massingir dam on a main tributary of the Limpopo had been opened for the first time since 1977.
The amount of water released from the dam had risen from 10,000 to 17,000 cubic meters per second within a few hours. The reservoirs upstream in the neighboring states were also full.
The Vice President of the national disaster authority INGD, Gabriel Monteiro, warned that the floods could be even more severe than the historic flood disaster in 2000, which cost hundreds of lives.
Deadly floods also in South Africa and Zimbabwe
The situation would be even more serious this time, as additional provinces would be affected, he told the state news agency AIM. However, the country is now better prepared than before. Several UN organizations and humanitarian partners are providing emergency aid for those affected.
Mozambique's neighboring countries South Africa and Zimbabwe are also currently experiencing flooding after heavy rainfall. In South Africa, the number of fatalities has risen to 30 since the end of December, according to the European Commission's Emergency Coordination Center.
The provinces most affected are Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the north. The government therefore declared a national disaster on Sunday. Accordingly, 70 deaths were reported in Zimbabwe.
