Maputo — The river Save, which marks the boundary between southern and central Mozambique, has burst its banks and flooded the towns of Nova Mambone, in Inhambane province, on the south bank, and Machanga, in Sofala province, on the north bank.

The governor of Inhambane, Aires Aly, on Monday made an urgent appeal for helicopters and boats to rescue hundreds of flood victims, who were stranded in trees and on rooftops when the flood waters hit Nova Mambone.

After overflying the flooded areas, Aly said it is urgent to rescue those people, who have been cut off by the waters for the last two days. He said that at least 13,000 people have been affected in Nova Mambone, of whom only 600 have been rescued to safety, in the locality of Malovane.

"I overflew the area and saw that the town has been seriously affected, houses are totally submerged, with children and women on the treetops, awaiting rescue", he said.

There is a similar situation in Machanga. According to the Sofala provincial director for state administration, Eduardo Chilundo, the offices of the district administration, and many homes have been swamped, and residents are seeking safety on higher ground.

The road which links Machanga to the main north-south highway has been cut, making it impossible to enter the town overland. One of the people unable to return to Machanga was the district administrator, Joao Bata, who had been on a visit to the provincial capital, Beira. The flood was caused by the torrential rain brought to the area last week by cyclone Japhet. The save reached flood alert levels on Sunday: the river rose in 24 hours from 5.7 to 8.05 metres.