Malawi begins 14 days of mourning as humanitarian aid complements aid to victims of Cyclone Freddy.

Malawi began two weeks of national mourning this Thursday for the victims of Cyclone Freddy, which left at least 225 people dead and 40 missing as they passed through the African country, where international organizations are ramping up aid.

On Wednesday, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera asked for international help to fight the devastation caused by the cyclone, which he called a “national tragedy”, declaring two weeks of national mourning.

Malawi’s president specified that the mourning will last until March 29 “to honor the memory of those killed by Cyclone Freddy,” which also left more than 83,000 displaced people in the country.

“All flags will be flown at half mast for the first seven days of the mourning period,” Mali’s president said in a statement posted on social media.

The spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, announced on Wednesday that the organization is “stepping up its response” to support Malawian authorities’ efforts to overcome the “ravaging impact” of the cyclone.

The organization is “mobilizing additional teams” and delivering “vital supplies to the second most populated city of Blantyre and the hardest-hit areas,” although it emphasizes that “difficult weather conditions are hampering rescue efforts.”

UN Resident Coordinator in Malawi Rebecca Adda-Donto on Tuesday urged international partners to step up their relief efforts and warned of an “unprecedented crisis” as the cyclone passes through the African country.

For its part, the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) specified that it was providing medical and logistical assistance and warned that the number of victims would increase.

“The situation is very serious. There are many injured, injured, missing and dead, and the number will only increase in the coming days,” said Guilherme Botelho, MSF emergency coordinator in Blantyre.

MSF also recalled that the country was hit by the largest cholera epidemic in its history since the passage of Tropical Storm Ana last year, and that the damage done by Freddie raises concerns about the possible worsening of this health crisis.

The death toll from Cyclone Freddy has already topped 250, adding 225 people confirmed in Malawi to the death toll in Mozambique, where a second pass of the cyclone killed 21 people in central Zambezia province since Friday. to the new official balance sheet, still provisional, released on Tuesday.

The numbers could rise as the damage is assessed, Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) admitted.

In the first attack on February 24, the cyclone claimed the lives of 10 people in Mozambique.

Freddy, described as “unusual” by meteorologists, is already one of the longest running cyclones and has traveled the longest path in decades, covering more than 10,000 kilometers since it formed in northern Australia in February and crossed the Indian Ocean. south of the African continent.

The cyclone first hit the east coast of Madagascar on February 21 and, after hitting Mozambique, returned to the island on March 5, where, according to the UN, nearly 300,000 people were injured and 17 died.