Three children drown in Beira floods

Three children have drowned in floods caused by torrential rains in the central city of Beira. 

The rain began on 26 February, coinciding with high tides, and swamped many low-lying areas. One of the child victims was a seven-month-old baby who drowned in his sleep. 

His parents, also asleep, did not realise that the flood waters had invaded their house.

A four-year-old boy died while he was playing in the muddy water. He is believed to have fallen into a hole and drowned. The third victim, a 12-year-old boy, drowned in a ditch as he was trying to make his way to school.

Homes were inundated in outlying neighbourhoods such as Munhava, Macarungo, Manga, Chota, Muchatazina and Vaz.

Speaking to reporters, the mayor of Beira, Daviz Simango, recalled that Beira has special characteristics that make it prone to flooding. Part of the city is below sea level, and the water table is very high. 

This made it crucial to maintain the city’s drainage system, and Simango reported that the new floodgates installed at the Chiveve River, inaugurated in January, performed well, as did the older floodgates in the Palmeiras neighbourhood.

Source AIM