Floodwaters continue to rise in Mozambique

At least five people died after Cyclone Kenneth arrived late on Thursday in Mozambique. Serious flooding began in many parts of the country.

Pemba: Serious flooding began on Sunday in parts of northern Mozambique that were hit by Cyclone Kenneth three days ago.

With waters waist-high in some areas, the government urged many people to immediately seek higher ground.

In the main coastal city of Pemba, power was cut as heavy rains kept pouring.

Some residents tried to pile up tyres and sand-filled sacks as barricades, while others sought the higher ground, carrying their belongings in plastic bags.

Authorities have said at least five people died after the cyclone arrived late on Thursday with the force of a Category 4 hurricane, stunning residents of a region where a cyclone had not been recorded in the modern era.

Kenneth came just six weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped into central Mozambique and killed more than 600 people.

The remnants of Kenneth could dump twice as much rain as Idai did, the UN World Food Programme has warned.

As much as 250 millimetres (nine inches) of torrential rain, or about a quarter of the average annual rainfall for the region, is forecast over the next few days.

It was the flooding after Idai that caused most of the deaths.