Angry Zimbabwe Youths Riot Over Machel’s Death

Thousands of rampaging youths who blamed South Africa for the death of Mozambique’s president smashed offices, overturned cars, threw firebombs and attacked shoppers and office workers today in the worst violence the city has seen since independence in 1980.

The targets included the U.S. Embassy and diplomatic missions and state airlines offices of South Africa and Malawi, the only African nation that has diplomatic ties with South Africa.

But the violence, which erupted after a gathering at the Mozambique Embassy to mourn the death of Samora Machel, turned random as the estimated 5,000 rioters--nearly all of them black--rampaged throughout the downtown area and suburbs with cans of gasoline, and rocks and tree branches.

Firebombs Gut Offices

Both blacks and whites caught in the melee were injured. There was no official report on the number of injuries or arrests.

Machel died Sunday night when his plane crashed 45 miles from the Mozambican capital of Maputo, just 200 yards inside South Africa.

The offices of Air Malawi and South African Airways were gutted by firebombs, and the crowd tried to prevent firefighters from putting out the blaze. Windows were smashed at the two-story Malawi High Commission on the fringe of the city center, and a Malawi diplomatic minibus was overturned.

The South African Trade Mission, which serves as a consulate and commercial agency for the South African government, had windows smashed on five floors, but metal security doors prevented the rioters from getting inside.

2 Women Punched, Kicked

Witnesses said at least two middle-aged white women were punched and kicked outside South African Airways. They apparently were not seriously injured.

The rioters threw rocks at the walled-in U.S. Embassy, breaking some windows, before police dispersed them with tear gas. The semiofficial Zimbabwe Inter-African News Agency reported that a Marine guard had threatened to shoot if the mob tried to storm the embassy.

In Washington, White House spokesman Larry Speakes told reporters that the embassy closed for the day with all but essential personnel sent home. He said there were no injuries.