Cyclone Freddy to ease after battering Malawi, Mozambique

After killing hundreds and displacing thousands as it barreled through Mozambique and Malawi since late last week, Cyclone Freddy is set to move away from land later on Wednesday which should bring some relief to southern African regions that have been ravaged by its torrential rain and powerful winds.

The cyclone has killed at least 225 people in Malawi’s southern region including Blantyre, the country’s financial hub, according to local authorities. Another 88,000 people are displaced. In neighboring Mozambique, officials say at least 20 people have died since the storm made landfall in the port town of Quelimane on Saturday night. Over 45,000 people are still holed up in shelters, with about 1,300 square kilometers (800 square miles) still under water, according to the EU’s Copernicus satellite system.

“There are many casualties — either wounded, missing, or dead and the numbers will only increase in the coming days,” said Guilherme