Flood waters kill 34 in Zimbabwe, Mozambique

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Zimbabwe officials issued new warnings Wednesday of floods, as fears grew that flooding in neighboring Mozambique would be more extensive than in 2001 when 800 people died.

Mozambican authorities said at least seven people had died, 60,000 people had been evacuated and 22,000 houses were inundated. But they were optimistic they could keep loss of life to a minimum thanks to their disaster-prevention strategy.

Torrential rains in Zambia and Zimbabwe have swollen the Zambezi river ¢w Africa's fourth longest ¢w to well above the flood limit, with valleys in Malawi and Mozambique bearing the brunt as the waters rush toward the Indian Ocean.

Zimbabwe's state radio said Wednesday that flooding risks were on the increase as the water flowing from the Zambezi into the Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique was pushed back upstream into the Muzarabani and Dande areas of Zimbabwe, where at least 600 villagers have already lost their homes, crops and livestock in flood waters.

The official Herald newspaper said the government offered flood victims 140 miles northeast of Harare in Muzarabani food, parcels of land on a state-owned agricultural estate and assistance to build houses on higher ground. The government also promised to help evacuate people at risk from the waters.

At least 27 people have died in Zimbabwe, where rains since early December are reportedly the heaviest since record keeping began in the colonial era. Most of the victims were swept away by flooded rivers.

In rain-lashed towns, drinking water and power outages have worsened. Chronic shortages of hard currency and the world's highest inflation have made it difficult for utilities to buy imported equipment.

(Agencies)