Gift of the Givers, an African nongovernmental organization specializing in disaster response, said Malawi was facing “probably the greatest flood disaster in the history of its existence.”
In a Facebook post Saturday, the organization said 173 people were confirmed killed — and warned of worse news to come.
“The death toll is expected to rise as it is believed that 183 people have been swept away from one village alone,” the group said. “Massive destruction to agriculture, roads, bridges and general infrastructure including power facilities has complicated the situation due to prolonged power outages.”
Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika on Wednesday put the number of dead at 48.
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Gift of the Givers warned of the danger of a cholera outbreak, as well as other waterborne diseases, thanks to the lack of clean drinking water and contamination with sewerage.
The U.N. World Food Programme said Friday it was preparing to move stocks of food to the affected areas. This will include more than 100 metric tons of high-energy biscuits, enough to meet the immediate food needs of some 77,000 people, said Elisabeth Byrs of the WFP.
Malawi, with a population of 13 million, is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 40% of children have low growth for their age as a result of under-nutrition, Byrs said.
CNN’s Nana Karikari-apau and Christabelle Fombu contributed to this report.
