Floods, destruction from cyclone continue in Mozambique

Flood waters dominate the landscape following cyclone force winds and heavy rain near the coastal city of Beira, Mozambique, Wednesday March 20, 2019. Torrential rains were expected to continue into Thursday and floodwaters were still rising, according to aid groups trying to get food, water and clothing to desperate survivors. It will be days before Mozambique's inundated plains drain toward the Indian Ocean and even longer before the full scale of the devastation is known. (Josh Estey/CARE via AP)

Personnel carry a body from a military helicopter in Chimanimani, about 600 km south east of Harare, Zimbabwe, Wednesday, March, 20, 2019. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa visited a part of Chimanimnani affected by cyclone Idai and promised assistance in the form of food and rebuilding of homes. Hundreds are dead, many more missing and thousands at risk from massive flooding in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe caused by Cyclone Idai. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe – A week after Cyclone Idai hit coastal Mozambique and swept across the country to Zimbabwe, the storm's aftermath of flooding, destruction and death continues in southern Africa, making it one of the most destructive natural disasters in the region's recent history.

Floodwaters are rushing across the plains of central Mozambique, submerging homes, villages and entire towns. The flooding has created a muddy inland ocean 50 kilometers (31 miles) wide where there used to be farms and villages, giving credence to Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi's estimate that 1,000 may have been killed.

Mozambique reports that 200 have died and Zimbabwe reports a similar number but emergency workers say the death toll will continue to rise.

Rains stopped, at least temporarily, Thursday and floodwaters have begun to recede, according to aid groups.

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