Mozambique spared second hit as cyclone wanes

Cyclone Jokwe, which has wreaked havoc in Mozambique, was downgraded on Friday to a tropical depression, allaying fears of a damaging hit to the tourism town of Vilankulo.

However, the cyclone, now heading towards Madagascar, still had Mozambique’s coastal regions on yellow alert in case it regained momentum, said João Ribeiro, deputy director of the national disaster management institute.

“I think the cyclone’s pressure has decreased due to a cold front in the Mozambican channel,” Ribeiro said.

“We are waiting for official information from the national meteorological services department in order to reclassify the cyclone properly,” he added.

He warned the pressure on the cyclone could build up and return to affect coastal parts of Mozambique.

Weather experts were predicting Jokwe would hit Mozambique’s southern coastal areas on Friday after it changed course on Thursday and returned to central part of the Mozambican channel.

This prompted fears among residents of Vilankulo, the country’s main tourist spot, of a repeat of the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Favio last year.

Cyclone Jokwe has resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people and displaced thousands more since it hit the Southern African country last Saturday.—Sapa-AFP