Malawi’s cyclone toll to reach 1,200 as hopes fade

THE death toll from Cyclone Freddy in Malawi is slated to surpass 1,200 after authorities said today hundreds of missing people would be declared dead as hopes of finding survivors fade.

Freddy dumped six months’ worth of rainfall on southern Malawi in six days earlier this month, triggering floods and mudslides that swept away homes, roads and bridges in a record-breaking deluge.