Maputo — Rail traffic along the line between the northern Mozambican port of Nacala and Malawi has been interrupted since Thursday due to damage caused by heavy rains, reports Monday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

The rainfall destroyed a culvert at the Mutivaze administrative post, in Nampula/Rapale district, an area where the railway has experienced similar problems in previous rainy seasons.

The rains washed away the ballast supporting the line for a distance of about ten metres. The line is now suspended, dangling two metres above solid ground.

It will require a great deal of work to repair the damage. In the meantime nothing can be transported to or from Malawi along the railway, and the transport of passengers and goods between Nampula and Niassa. provinces has also been interrupted.

Emergency repairs began immediately and it is hoped that traffic will resume within the next few days.

However, Manuel Macopa, the rail manager of the consortium that runs the Nacala port and railway, the Northern Development Corridor (CDN), told reporters that his company could not, as yet, give an exact estimate of the material and financial losses caused by the interruption, but he said that they are enormous.

"Even after repairing the damaged culvert, we will not immediately reopen the line to traffic, because there are also reports that inspection is required on the Nampula/ Malema stretch of the line. We will only reopen it after looking at the real situation on that stretch", added Macopa.

He said that a team of technicians in a train was to leave on Sunday, from Nampula to Malema, carrying all the necessary material for the repairs and for any other work that may be necessary along the line.

This is the second time that traffic on that line has been interrupted this year. The first was in January, when heavy rains hit Mecuburi district, destroying another cuilvert. Then it took about 12 days to repair the damage.