Former Mozambican first lady Graça Machel has appealed to the United Nations to send a specialist team to assess the effects of the tropical cyclone that has ripped through south-west Africa since last week.
“I asked the UN to send a specialised team to do the assessment. We need to know the magnitude, the depth, the extension, the complexity of this tragedy,” the 73-year-old said.
Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe have all been affected by Cyclone Idai, which has destroyed roads, bridges, buildings and crops in the areas it passed through.
Graça Machel called on the three countries to unite in seeking global aid following the tragedy.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi earlier this week said the number of those affected by the cyclone in his country could surpass 1,000.
On Tuesday, the UN said more than 1.7 million people had been affected by the cyclone, half of whom are feared to be children.
The agency said the real extend of damage caused by the cyclone has not yet been known but it feared that the emergency was getting bigger by the day.
Graça Machel is the widow of Mozambique’s first president, Samora Machel.
