Maputo — At least 18 people have lost their lives in the second wave of flooding in Mozambique, according to the country's relief agency, the National Disaster Risk Management Institute (INGD).

According to INGD chairperson Luisa Meque, speaking to reporters, "The deaths that have occurred were due to drowning'.

The first wave of floods occurred in January, when much of southern and central Mozambique was inundated. Major cities, such as Xai-Xai and Chokwe, both in Gaza province, were flooded.

In the January floods alone, about 50 people died and nearly 725,000 were affected, mainly in the southern region. Meque said that, in the March floods, the majority of the affected households are located in the central provinces of Sofala and Tete, the northern province of Niassa and the southern province of Inhambane.

"There are 31 accommodation centres active across the country, housing approximately 10,000 people', she said. "In Inhambane alone, there are four centres operating, housing approximately 4,000 displaced people".

This means that since October, when the rainy season began, the country recorded 296 deaths, and over one million people have been affected by floods. The rainy season runs from October to April. As a result of the floods, 17 people are also missing and 351 were injured.