Nearly three weeks after Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the country, Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) says it has lost hope and police will declare the missing 537 persons dead.

During a press conference in Blantyre yesterday, Dodma commissioner Charles Kalemba said as of Monday, 676 people had died and 537 were still missing.

Villagers search for their loved ones after an entire village was swept away

He expressed fear that after 17 days of searching, chances of finding the missing persons alive are slim.

Kalemba said: “As of yesterday, 537 people were still missing and police and Malawi Defence Force [MDF] search and rescue teams are still searching for people who went missing.

“In Chiradzulu [at Ntauchila Village where an entire village was swept away by cyclone induced mudslide] there were police officers with sniffer dogs and a grader, but they didn’t find anything. So, we have closed the search there.”

He said the disaster left about 2 171 people were injured while 659 278 were displaced and are in 747 evacuation

During a press conference in Blantyre yesterday, Dodma commissioner Charles Kalemba said as of Monday, 676 people had died and 537 were still missing.

He expressed fear that after 17 days of

Kalemba said: “As of yesterday, 537 people were still missing and police and Malawi Defence Force [MDF] search and rescue teams are still searching for people who went missing.

“In Chiradzulu [at Ntauchila Village where there were police officers with sniffer dogs and a grader, but they didn’t find anything. So, we have closed the search there.”

He said the disaster left about 2 171 people were injured while 659 278 were displaced and are in 747 evacuation camps.

“About 882 989 households had their houses either partially or completely damaged,”Kalemba said.

According to Dodma, about 2.3 million people in the 13 affected councils have lost their crops and livestock as well as 63 health facilities have been affected.

Blantyre is the most affected district with 434 586 people affected followed by Mulanje with 362 135,

Zomba with 322 938, Phalombe with 258 557, Mangochi with 230 373 and Chiradzulu with 191 883.

Chipping in during the briefing, MDF chief of military operations and training Major General Saiford Kalisha said 140 troops were still on the ground searching for the missing people.

He said 179 engineer soldiers from Tanzania and Malawi have been deployed to rebuild some infrastructure, particularly roads to ensure that all areas are reachable.

Kalisha said all the areas will be accessible by roads in about four weeks time.

In separate interviews on Monday, Mulanje district commissioner

David Maxwell Gondwe and his Phalombe ounterpart Douglas Moffat said the situation in their respective districts still dire.

Meanwhile, the Government of Zimbabwe has donated 300 metric tonnes of maize flour to support

people affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in the country.

In an interview after handing over the maize flour in Blantyre, Zimbabwean Ambassador Nancy Saungweme said Malawi and Zimbabwe are one family; hence, the donation.

“If you are struck by disasters, we should be there to respond immediately. Actually we were supposed to be the first ones to come because we are neighbours who always look after each other,” she said.

Kalemba has since expressed anger at

some leaders that are abusing relief items meant for cyclone survivors.

He said in Machinga, a councillor who chairs the disaster response committee has been arrested for allegedly trying to steal maize meant for the cyclone survivors.

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