MAPUTO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed, 13 more injured, and more than 14,000 others were adversely impacted after Tropical Storm Filipo passed through Mozambique, according to preliminary data from the country's authorities as of Wednesday.
Paulo Tomas, spokesperson for the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), told the state-run Radio Mozambique on Thursday that the deaths were recorded in the southern provinces of Inhambane and Maputo.
According to the spokesperson, there has also been an impact on the energy sector, with communication lines disrupted or conditioned, and homes flooded or destroyed.
Tomas said INGD teams are on the ground collecting more data for daily updates. "The authorities' forecast was 525,000 people at risk; at the moment, the data is still being collected."
The spokesman added that emergency operation centers and provincial humanitarian teams have been activated to ensure rapid assistance.
The severe tropical storm also forced LAM Mozambique Airlines, the flag carrier of Mozambique, to cancel all flights scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
Tomas said Filipo, which made landfall early Tuesday, is no longer a threat to the country.
Mozambique is considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with regular tropical cyclones and flooding from October to April. ■
