The National Disaster Management Institute (INGD) announced on Sunday that the number of deaths caused by the floods in the south of the country since Tuesday of last week has risen to six.

The last two deaths concern two people who lost their lives on Saturday due to the collapse of a house in the Boane district, said Wilson Manique, an INGD technician, at a session of the emergency committee, quoted by Rádio Moçambique.

The district of Boane is 30 kilometers south of Maputo and has been one of the worst affected by the heavy rain and discharges from the Pequenos Libombos dam.

According to the INGD, one of the main needs is the urgent need to provide humanitarian aid, such as food, to people sheltering in reception centers.

On Saturday, according to INGD data, there were 422 people registered in the centers, but the agency's leaders admitted today that the numbers could be much higher. These residents who have sought shelter in the centers are the most vulnerable group of the entire population affected by the floods.

Luísa Meque, president of INGD, said on Sunday in the town of Boane that the total number of people affected (i.e. with some kind of damage to report) had risen to 36,700, equivalent to 7,300 families, and that there were just as many houses with damage.

According to the official, the figures are still preliminary because, although the rain has slowed down, many areas remain submerged.

As far as communication routes are concerned, according to the authorities, there are 270 kilometers of impassable roads and paths.