Two women have died in the district of Chibuto, attacked by crocodiles during the floods of recent days, the authorities announced yesterday.

The two victims were trying to save some crops "from their gardens" because of the floods, and the latest incident happened on Saturday, said Sérgio Moiane, the district administrator.

"They went back to their gardens when the reptiles ran away from the rivers," he told Rádio Moçambique, quoted by Lusa, appealing to the population to stay away from flooded areas.

The "machambas", subsistence farming gardens, are the main source of food for the majority of Mozambican families in rural areas.

The crocodile is one of the animals that causes the most fatalities every year in the country, having been responsible for 76 deaths in 2020, according to data from the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) on recorded incidents - many of which go unreported.