DOZENS of South African tourists were stranded in Mozambique’s coastal town of Vilankulo on Monday, waiting for an air lift after floods destroyed roads. Vilankulo district authorities said some tourists had to sell their vehicles or boats to pay for rides on chartered planes out of the town, which is opposite the popular Bazaruto archipelago. Authorities said the local airport was overcrowded. Torrential rains cut the main north-south highway on both sides of the small town of Vilankulo. The most serious damage was south of the town, about 400km north of the capital, Maputo, where a bridge collapsed, killing five fishermen. The flood waters are reported to have also spread landmines, which were laid to protect the bridge during the civil war, over a wide area.