The death toll from Cyclone Jude, which struck northern Mozambique last week, has risen to at least 16, according to the latest update from the country’s National Institute of Meteorology. The institute also reported that two people remain missing, and nearly 60 others have been injured.
Cyclone Jude made landfall on Monday, bringing devastating winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour (over 120 miles per hour) and dumping more than 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain within 24 hours. The storm caused widespread damage to homes, infrastructure, and farmland along Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coast.
This is the third cyclone to hit Mozambique in just four months. In December, Cyclone Chido claimed at least 120 lives and destroyed nearly 120,000 homes. In mid-January, Cyclone Dikeledi caused at least five deaths and damaged nearly 3,500 homes.
The repeated cyclones have exacerbated the challenges faced by the impoverished nation, which is still recovering from previous storms. Authorities and relief organizations are working to provide aid to affected communities, but the scale of the destruction has stretched resources thin.
Mozambique, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, continues to grapple with the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.