Cyclone Freddy death toll exceeds 300 in Southern Africa

The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Southern Africa has surpassed 300, with Malawi recording the highest number of casualties.

At least 225 people have been killed in Malawi and 707 others injured, according to authorities.

Mozambique on late Wednesday reported at least 53 deaths in the Zambezia province, but the toll is expected to rise as rescue workers continue the search for missing people.

The cyclone struck Mozambique and Malawi over the weekend for the second time in a month, destroying homes and causing widespread flooding.

In its first landfall in February, the cyclone killed 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique.

Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera has declared 14 days of national mourning in the wake of the disaster.

"It is important that all those who lost their lives are buried with dignity and that all those missing are accounted for," he said.

On Thursday, rescue teams with excavators started digging through the mud and rubble in Blantyre's worst-hit township of Soche Hill to find survivors and retrieve bodies.

"We found 5 bodies this morning. More are still trapped in the mudslide," Raphael Makina, a witness and survivor of the cyclone, told Anadolu.

"My house was flattened and I lost everything. That's why I will be here to witness the digging and rescue efforts," Makina added.

Chakwera on Wednesday appealed for more assistance from the international community and donors in the face of destruction and damage caused by the Cyclone.

Charles Kalemba, a commissioner at Malawi's Department of Disaster Management Affairs, said over 19,676 households or about 88,312 people have been displaced and 165 camps have been set up to accommodate them.