Southern African bloc sends emergency team to Mozambique as floods affect over 650,000

A regional emergency response team from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has arrived in Mozambique to assist with relief efforts after severe floods affected more than 650,000 people, the bloc said on Sunday.

The multidisciplinary team, including experts in logistics, search and rescue, public health, communications, and civil-military coordination, arrived on Saturday and was integrated into Mozambique's national humanitarian coordination system to support recovery operations, a SADC statement said.

It said the floods across Mozambique have caused extensive damage to roads, schools, health facilities, and other critical infrastructure.

According to the SADC, Gaza Province has been the hardest hit, with nearly 392,000 people affected and four deaths reported.

Maputo Province and Maputo City have reported three and one deaths, respectively, while Sofala Province has reported four deaths, bringing the national toll to at least 12.