Cyclone Freddy death toll in southern Africa surpasses 600

Clothes are hung out to dry on electrical power lines in Phalombe, southern Malawi Saturday, March 18, 2023. The area experiebced last week's heavy rains caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy. [Thoko Chikondi, AP]

The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which ravaged Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique over the past two months, now stands at more than 600 people, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

Aid agencies are scrambling to meet the soaring humanitarian needs amid fears of rising cholera cases, malnutrition and large numbers of displaced families.