Flooding Recedes in Mozambique; Rescuers Shift to Delivering Aid

The water level in the flooded Limpopo River valley dropped unexpectedly Friday, freeing thousands of people who were marooned for days in trees and on rooftops during Mozambique’s worst flooding on record.

Rescuers have saved more than 12,000 people from the flood waters. But tragedy struck the rescue effort Friday when a boat capsized, drowning four children.

And in refugee camps, many people went hungry for yet another day.

The four children died after an inflatable boat carrying 17 refugees hit a tree and flipped over, said the boat’s pilot, Peter Britz.

Officials expect the floods’ death toll to run into the thousands, and the retrieval of corpses has been hampered by a shortage of body bags.

Aid officials said people trapped in trees were being driven by hunger and thirst to eat the carcasses of drowned animals and drink filthy flood water, putting them at risk for disease.

Rescues in the Limpopo valley had been expected to take three or four more days, and the receding flood waters came as a welcome respite for weary crews. Lt. Col. Jaco Klopper, commander of the South African air force’s rescue operation, said that rescue workers thought most people caught by the Limpopo flood had been moved to safety.

The air force said it would continue to search for survivors but would free up some of its helicopter crews to distribute aid.

Once delivered to safety, many refugees remained hungry. Millions of dollars in aid pledged from abroad have begun arriving in Mozambique, but distribution problems seemed to be common.

The first U.S. and British planes arrived in South Africa on Friday with troops and technicians to manage their aid efforts.