Some 15,000 people still need to be rescued from the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai, Mozambique officials say.
The cyclone victims there are stranded by catastrophic flooding and are clinging to roofs or stuck in trees, charities say.
In the port city of Beira, aid workers say there are only two to three days of clean water left.
Some 300 people are confirmed dead in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, but the toll is expected to rise.
'Destruction and a lot of water'
With shortages of food and clean drinking water the threat of disease is growing, medical agencies warn.
The powerful cyclone swept into Beira last Thursday, with winds of more than 177km/h (106 mph). It left a trail of devastation as it moved inland across Zimbabwe and Malawi.
"The first thing you see when you arrive is destruction and a lot of water," said Get Verdonck, an emergency coordinator with the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
"People are using well water with no chlorination, and that water is unlikely to be clean... pneumonia and other respiratory diseases are going to be a problem," he told Reuters from Beira.
Aid groups said Mozambique had borne the brunt of flooding from rivers that flow downstream from neighbouring countries. A total of 217 people are confirmed dead in the country but many areas have still not been reached.
Caroline Haga, an official with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the worst-hit areas were close to the Buzi river west of Beira.
She said rescue teams were dropping high-energy biscuits, water purification tablets and other supplies to people surrounded by water and mud.
"We have thousands of people... in roofs and trees waiting for rescue," Ms Haga told AFP news agency.
Source: BBC
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |