Death toll from floods rises in Mozambique, South Africa

Maputo: Mozambique battled severe flooding Monday as the death toll after weeks of rain climbed, with more bodies also recovered in neighbouring South...

Maputo: Mozambique battled severe flooding Monday as the death toll after weeks of rain climbed, with more bodies also recovered in neighbouring South Africa.

Heavy rains and storms have battered the two southern African countries for weeks, claiming at least 150 lives, authorities said.

More than 110 people had been killed in Mozambique since early October, the start of the rainy season, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGD) database showed Monday, with 14 of the deaths in the past week.

Large parts of the country were still underwater, prompting President Daniel Chapo to cancel his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos as rescue operations continued.

In South Africa, meanwhile, authorities said the death toll had risen to 37 in the northeastern Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces which border Mozambique, after weeks of heavy downpours.