Idai storm kills at least 360 in southern Africa

UNITED NATIONS: Cyclone Idai may be one of the worst natural disasters to hit southern Africa in living memory, said a UN spokesman of the storm that has killed at least 360 people.

Farhan Haq, the Deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, gave a grim report of the destruction left by the cyclone that hit parts of Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 80 people were rescued by Rescue South Africa and the South African army with helicopters from the Buzi area, province of Safala, where they were stranded.

He told a regular briefing that what was needed was not yet known "because of the amount of the damage that's been created and the inaccessibility to the area".

In Malawi, nearly 1 million people were affected, with 56 deaths and 577 injuries recorded, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. More than 82,700 people are estimated to be displaced.

In Mozambique, according to the government, at least 202 people are confirmed dead. The death toll is expected to rise, Haq said. An estimated 260,000 children have reportedly been affected, according to UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund.