The Mozambican government appealed Friday for a speedy humanitarian response to contain severe flooding, which has displaced hundreds of thousands and destroyed infrastructure in the Southeast African nation.

The National Disaster Management Institute (INGD) said the country is experiencing the worst flooding in decades, which, according to statistics, has displaced 600,000 people in the worst-hit provinces of Gaza, Zambezia, Inhambane and Sofala.

Around 40% of Gaza Province is said to be submerged. Weeks of torrential rains have triggered widespread flooding across Southern Africa, killing scores of victims.

Gabriel Monteiro, deputy chairperson of INGD, told reporters that the country’s resources “were insufficient to respond to a disaster of this scale.”

‘Exceeds our plans’

“So far, we have partners from other parts of the world who have come to help us, but the size of this phenomenon exceeds all our plans. We are therefore appealing for humanitarian support from across the world to contain the devastating effects of the floods,” said Monteiro.

Authorities said about 13 victims were reported dead, while scores were missing during the past two weeks.

Mary Louise Eagleton, UNICEF resident representative in the country, told Anadolu that the number of fatalities is expected to rise.

“We also expect to see that a large proportion of those who have washed away are children. We are therefore working to establish the exact number of those dead,” she said.

Military deployed

The South African and British governments have deployed military troops to beef up rescue operations.

Displaced communities are facing acute shortages of shelter, and essential needs like water, sanitation and food, said Monteiro.

International partners are mobilizing resources alongside INGD to respond to the growing needs.

Mozambique was hit by severe flooding in 2000, which killed about 1,000 people.