Turkey sends more aid to cyclone-hit Mozambique

BERIA, Mozambique

Turkey's state-run relief agency said it had sent more humanitarian aid to Mozambique for those affected by the deadly tropical Cyclone Idai.

Idai made landfall in Mozambique's port city of Beira on March 14 with winds of up to 110 miles (177 kilometers) per hour, killing at least 534 people in Mozambique, according to local media.

The combined death toll in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe now stands at over 740, according to media reports.

Hamza Tasdelen, head of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), said a second cargo plane carrying 100 tents, 650 personal hygiene packs, and 200 food parcels left for Mozambique on Friday.

UN has said the cyclone had displaced about 110,000 people, forcing them to take shelter in camps across central Mozambique.

More than 17,500 houses were damaged by the cyclone said Tasdelen, adding that AFAD crew was among the first to respond to the disaster.

Apart from AFAD, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), National Medical Search Team (UMKE) and Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) has been providing support and distributing humanitarian aid in the region.

The cyclone has washed away crops and roads have been damaged across the three south African countries.

Many areas in Mozambique remain without electricity, and almost all networks have been severely damaged, according to the UN.