38 dead in second cyclone to hit Mozambique in 2019

Mozambique’s government on Monday said that the death toll from last week’s Cyclone Kenneth has climbed to at least 38, The Associated Press reported.

Kenneth, which hit just six weeks after Cyclone Idai killed over 600, struck the northern part of Mozambique last Thursday.

{mosads}Monday’s new death estimate comes as heavy rains and flooding continue to complicate relief missions.

In a statement Sunday night, the government said the death toll could rise due to “worrying” rains, per AP.

They also said more than 160,000 people are at risk.

The United Nations’s disaster response agency pledged Sunday to release $13 million to pay for food, shelter, health, water and sanitation assistance in Mozambique and Comoros.

“The funds will help in reducing the suffering of the affected people including mitigating the impact on food security caused by the destruction and loss of farmland, livestock and fisheries, in addition to the damage and destruction of homes,” U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said in a statement.