By Chisomo Phiri
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA ) has announced that the death toll following Tropical Cyclone Chido has risen to 7 from 2.
According to a statement released by the department on Tuesday, Salima district has recorded 3 deaths whereas Kasungu, Machinga, Blantyre and Lilongwe districts have recorded 1 death each.
DoDMA further says 16 people have been injured and about 7 721 households have been affected.
Meanwhile, all search and rescue operations have been decommissioned.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Chido was a small but very powerful and deadly tropical cyclone which impacted Southeast Africa.
The fourth tropical disturbance, the second tropical cyclone, and the second intense tropical cyclone of the 2024–25 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Chido formed from a tropical disturbance southeast of Diego Garcia that was first noted on 5 December 2024.
It continued westward, and steadily intensified before being named Chido on 8 December, 2024.
After it underwent rapid intensification, Chido made landfall at Agaléga in Mauritius on 11 December,2024, peaking in intensity the following day.
After passing through northern Madagascar, Chido briefly weakened but quickly regained intensity, before making its second landfall near Bandraboua, Mayotte on 14 December,2024 before slightly weakening again later that day and making a third landfall near Pemba, Mozambique the following day, Chido made all three of its landfalls as a Category 4-equivalent intense tropical cyclone.
 has announced that the death toll following Tropical Cyclone Chido has risen to 7 from 2. According to a…){kind=link}