Cyclone Freddy wanes after battering Malawi, Mozambique

By VITUS-GREGORY GONDWE and WANJOHI KABUKURU
Associated Press

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — After killing hundreds and displacing thousands as it barreled through Mozambique and Malawi since late last week, Cyclone Freddy has dissipated over land, although flooding remains a threat in both countries, a regional monitoring center said late Wednesday. The cyclone has killed at least 225 people in Malawi’s southern region and within and around Blantyre, the country’s financial hub, according to local authorities. In neighboring Mozambique, officials say at least 20 people have died since the storm made landfall in the port town of Quelimane on Saturday night.