Number Of Dead In Mozambique Cyclone Over 200, Says President

The death toll in Mozambique after Tropical Cyclone Idai struck the southern African nation last week has climbed to more than 200, President Filipe Nyusi said Tuesday.

"According to the information given to us here... we already have more than 200 dead, and nearly 350,000 people are at risk," the president said after attending a cabinet meeting in the storm-stricken central city of Beira.

The confirmed death toll stood at 202, he said, adding that the government had declared a national emergency as well as three days of national mourning starting on Friday.

"We are in an extremely difficult situation," Nyusi said, adding that flood waters were expected to rise to around eight metres (26 feet) in the coming days.