Death toll in Mozambique cyclone, floods could surpass 1,000 - President

People clambered on roofs and up trees in order to save themselves in Beira in Mozambique. AFP.

The number of people killed in a powerful storm and preceding floods in Mozambique could exceed 1,000, the president said on Monday, putting the potential death toll greatly more than current figures.

Only 84 deaths have been confirmed so far in Mozambique as a result of Cyclone Idai, which has also left a trail of death and destruction across Zimbabwe and Malawi, with vast areas of land flooded, roads destroyed and communication wiped out.