Cyclone Chido kills at least 45 people in Mozambique and leaves hundreds injured

The United Nations says the death toll in Mozambique has risen to at least 45 with hundreds others injured following the passage on Sunday of Tropical Cyclone Chido.

More than 35 thousand houses were destroyed or severely damaged after winds of up to 260 kilometres an hour hit mainly Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces in the north.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it has disbursed four million dollars in emergency aid for the estimated 181,000 people affected.

Emergency teams are working to provide relief to displaced families and assess the full extent of the damage.

The region is already struggling with challenges such as conflict and underdevelopment.

Many resettlement centres for people previously displaced by ongoing fighting have been severely affected.

Aid workers say the priorities are food, water, sanitation, shelter, and survival kits to help communities recover.