Cyclone Freddy: Winds and rain lash Mozambique as storm nears

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 12, 2017, a Rohingya refugee child carrries water during rain in a refugee camp at Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh's Ukhia district. The first monsoon rains have pounded camps in Bangladesh housing around a million Rohingya refugees, triggering floods and landslides but for now no casualties or major damage, officials said on June 10. / AFP PHOTO / Munir UZ ZAMAN

Mozambique is being lashed by rain, powerful winds and flooding as Cyclone Freddy is about to make landfall for the second time in a month.

The southern African nation has received more than a year’s worth of rainfall in the past four weeks.

Freddy may become the longest-lasting storm on record, having formed to the north-west of Australia 34 days ago.

One person is reported to have died, bringing the death toll to at least 28 since the storm first made landfall.

People have been urged to move into temporary shelters – including schools, churches and warehouses.

More than half a million people could be at risk of a humanitarian crisis this time around, according to local disaster agencies.

As the high winds hit the country, one person died when his house collapsed, Reuters news agency quotes state channel TVM as saying.

Electricity has been turned off as a precaution by the power utility firm and all flights have been suspended, according to TVM.

The cyclone is reported to have stalled offshore and is thought to be making its way on to land soon. (BBC)

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