SA choppers to help in Moz
2007-03-06 11:04
Maputo - South Africa has made three helicopters available to help transport provisions and to monitor refugee centres accommodating flood victims in the Zambezi Valley, Vista News reported on Monday.
Radio Mozambique said the helicopters were expected to arrive in Caia district, more than 1 000km north of Maputo, on Tuesday.
The radio quoted national disaster management institute deputy director, Joao Ribeiro, as saying the helicopters would transport provisions from Caia to 54 refugee centres in parts of Sofala, Manica, Tete and Zambezia provinces.
More than 106 000 victims of cyclone-induced floods are accommodated in the refugee centres.
Ribeiro said the South African government had also donated five water purification plants to be taken to some of the centres.
Radio Mozambique also reported that the World Food Programme (WFP) was using a helicopter to transport aid to residents of the island on Bazaruto who were affected by cyclone Favio.
WFP co-ordinator Casimiro Abreu said aid would also be transported by helicopters to the coastal district of Machanga in Sofala province.
He said the aid consisted of construction materials to benefit victims whose houses were destroyed by Cyclone Favio.
Cyclone Favio hit Bazaruto on February 23 destroying most of the houses of the island's population of about 1 000 people before moving to the resort town of Vilankulo, where it left four people dead, more than 70 seriously injured and more than 40 000 homeless.
- SAPA