The death toll from Cyclone Freddy in Malawi is expected to exceed 1,200 after officials announced Thursday that dozens of missing people would be declared dead as chances of finding survivors dwindled.
Earlier this month, Freddy dumped six months' worth of rain on southern Malawi in six days, causing mudslides and floods that swept away homes, roadways, and infrastructure in a record-breaking deluge. According to authorities, at least 676 individuals died, and 538 remain missing.
On Thursday, police said those still missing would be presumed dead once rescue efforts in some areas were completed.
We are still reaching out to some previously inaccessible places," police spokesman Harry Namwaza told AFP.
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"When we are done with the process, then it will be the appropriate time for us to declare that the missing are presumed dead."
According to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, rescue attempts are being scaled back.
"Considering how many days have passed, the chances of finding anyone alive are slim," emergency management commissioner Charles Kalemba said on Wednesday.
Sniffer dogs in Blantyre were decommissioned because crews on the ground believed they "had done all that they could," he said.
Cyclone Freddy landed in southern Africa in late February, affecting Madagascar and Mozambique but escaping Malawi.
The storm moved back out over the Indian Ocean, drawing more strength from the warm waters before making a rare path change and slamming into the mainland for the second time.
When the cyclone hit, Malawi's president declared 14 days of mourning in the country to mourn those affected.
"In view of the extent of the loss of life caused by this disaster, I have directed that all of us as a nation observe 14 days of mourning and that all flags fly at half mast for the first seven of those days," Chakwera said in an address to the nation.
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