At least 30 school children, 2 headmasters and a teacher are missing in Manicaland province following devastating floods in the region caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai, which has claimed 139 lives in Zimbabwe and over 200 in neighboring Mozambique.
In a tweet Thursday evening, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Information did not give any further details.
“A total of 30 pupils, 2 headmasters and 1 teacher are missing. The pupils are 24 from Ngangu, 4 from Dzingire and 2 from Chimanimani,” read the tweet.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has already declared two days of mourning on Saturday and Sunday in honor of the people who perished in the disaster.
Mnangagwa described scenes of “unmitigated despair” in Rusitu, near the border with Mozambique.
Reuters reports that three days of national mourning began Wednesday in Mozambique after one of the most destructive storms to strike southern Africa in decades killed hundreds of people.
Cyclone Idai, packing sustained winds of up to 170 kilometers per hour, hit Mozambique's port city of Beira last Thursday before sweeping inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Forecasters predict more torrential rains are expected through Thursday and floodwaters are still rising. Aid groups are trying to transport essential goods to desperate survivors.