Relief funding for Cyclone Idai victims seriously lacking: UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Malawi, with 90,000 households reached with relief assistance, was running nearly 26 million US dollars below its appeal fund.

"Approximately 19.3 million US dollars of the 45.2 million US dollars required for immediate assistance in Malawi has been mobilised so far," Dujarric told reporters at a regular briefing.

Sixty people were reported dead following the cyclone that hit in mid-March, according to the government.

In Mozambique, the hardest-hit nation, more than 756,000 people have received food assistance, and almost 161,000 people are sheltering in 164 sites, Dujarric said.

The government reported more than 600 fatalities from the storm.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Mozambique Humanitarian Response Plan for Cyclone Idai is seeking 282 million dollars. It is currently just about 21 percent funded.

In Zimbabwe, the government reported 334 deaths and 257 people missing from Idai.

"An estimated 270,000 people, including 129,600 children, affected by flooding remain in need of critical, life-saving support to enable them to recover from the impact of the floods caused by Cyclone Idai," OCHA said in a situation report.

UN agencies and nongovernmental organisations last week launched a revised Humanitarian Flash Appeal in response to Cyclone Idai, requesting an additional 60 million dollars, bringing the total amount required by humanitarian partners in Zimbabwe to 294 million dollars.