Maputo — At least 76 people died and a further 34 were injured when cyclone Freddy struck central Mozambique a week ago, according to the latest figures issued by the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD).

The INGD's latest bulletin said the cyclone affected 540,563 people - 251,300 of them in Zambezia, and 115,212 in Sofala. Freddy destroyed 33,292 houses and damaged a further 54,076.

892 schools and 80 health units were affected by the storm, as well as 5,059 kilometres of roads. The cyclone knocked down 499 electricity pylons, and 129 boats have disappeared, presumably swept out to sea.

The INGD said that currently 64,418 people are living in government-run accommodations centres in the six affected provinces (Zambézia, Tete, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane and Niassa).

The country worst hit by the cyclone was Malawi, which has asked for air support from Mozambique and Zambia to rescue thousands of people besieged by flood waters in ten of the country's southern districts.

With the improvement in the weather, as the cyclone dissipated, the Malawian authorities said on Thursday that the conditions are now favourable for the use of aircraft in rescue operations.

Malawian Defence Minister Harry Nkandawire said the request addressed to Mozambique and Zambia is intended to avoid further loss of life. Many of the districts struck by the cyclone have been isolated from the rest of the world for four days or more.

35 primary and secondary roads in southern Malawi have been cut by the cyclone, making rescue operations by land extremely difficult.

The current cyclone death toll in Malawi is now given as 324, with a further 200 people listed as missing.