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By La Croix International staff (with Catholic News Service) | Mozambique
More than 300 people were killed when Cyclone Idai slammed into Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, with churches and aid agencies rushing to aid victims while at the same time burying the dead, many of whom remain nameless.
In Mozambique, more than 200 people died and nearly 350,000 are at risk while in Zimbabwe, the government said about 100 people had died, but the death toll could triple. In Malawi, the government confirmed 56 deaths.
"It's very difficult to know the extent of the damage and the death toll, with collapsed infrastructure and communication lines down," Erica Dahl-Bredine, Catholic Relief Services' representative for Mozambique, told Catholic News Service.
Beira, Mozambique's major port city, "is almost completely destroyed, and some areas outside the city are impossible to reach," she said.
Catholic Relief Services is working with Caritas and other church and relief groups to assess the needs and provide help.
The cyclone lashed Beira late March 14 with winds of up to more than 170 kilometers per hour before moving to Zimbabwe and flooding Malawi.
Pope Francis prayed at the end of his general audience in St. Peter's Square on March 20 for those affected by the cyclone that has "sown sorrow and devastation" and expressed sorrow for the many victims and their families.
In Zimbabwe, Father Frederick Chiromba, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, told Catholic News Service that "the extent of the damage was worse than we had expected."
The Salvation Army has played a key role in ensuring the swift and sanitary burial of 40 victims in Chimanimani, one of the worst hit towns in Zimbabwe, Nehana Radio reported on March 20.
"Since the disaster struck, we've been sending money to help with the upkeep of victims and mourners, as some of the injured were at their homes and some were at church," said Salvation Army Major Absalom Makanga.
"Even though we could not get to Chimanimani because of the bad state of the roads, we managed to communicate with our resident pastor who is there to officiate at the burial of the 40 bodies."
Responding to reports that hundreds of bodies were seen being swept into neighboring Mozambique, Local Government minister July Moyo told media the army had been dispatched to retrieve them, newsdzezimbabwe.co.uk reports.
"We understand there are bodies which are floating. Some are floating into Mozambique," he said, adding estimates of the total range from 100 to 300.
"The number of casualties has been a very fast-moving figure," he said.
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