Maputo — Mozambique’s main north-south highway (EN1) at Chicumbane has reopened following its closure on Saturday morning due to a damaged bridge.

The bridge, located about ten kilometres away from Xai Xai, has been damaged by the flooding that hit the Limpopo basin in Gaza province. However, the National Roads Administration (ANE) has installed a temporary bridge to allow traffic to cross the river in single file.

Queues of cars and trucks had formed as people waited to be ferried across the river on boats provided by the local authority.

The alternative route, passing through Chokwe and Chibuto, is currently impassable due to flooding.

The southern province of Gaza is the hardest hit region in the country with 26 deaths and over 70,000 people displaced by the flood waters.