/ 31 January 2001

RAINS THREATEN 260_000 IN MOZAMBIQUE

TORRENTIAL rains in central Mozambique are threatening 260_000 people with floods, after killing at least five people and making 18_000 homeless. The Zambezi river has already caused problems upstream in Tete province, where more than 10_000 have had to move to higher ground. The rains have now moved southwards into Sofala province, where one person has been killed in the port city of Beira. Boats and helicopters are being dispatched to the affected areas. – AFP