Authorities in Mozambique say torrential rains have killed 19 people in the past few days and worse flooding may lie ahead.
Jose Domingos, a disaster management official, says most of the victims died trying to cross a raging river in the central province of Manica. He says hundreds have been given shelter in emergency centres and roads in the area are impassable.
Mozambican television showed pictures on Monday of people trying to cross the Mweri River with their belongings and domestic animals.
Four more people have been killed and 1 000 displaced in the coastal region of Inhambane in the past two weeks.
Authorities fear that, as the rainy season in the Southern African nation continues, the flooding will worsen. — Sapa-AP