Mozambique cyclone death toll rises to 53

The death toll from a cyclone that lashed northern Mozambique last week has risen to 53, authorities in the northern Nampula province said.

The last official toll was 22 but 31 more bodies have been found in Mossuril district in the wake of Cyclone Gombe, local authorities said late on Wednesday.

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The area on the Indian Ocean coast is largely inaccessible now as road links have been disrupted by felled trees.

Debris lays strewn on a road in Nampula Province, Mozambique. AP

"The situation is dramatic. The number of deaths may be even higher, as we continue rescue operations in the most affected districts," said Mety Gondola, a senior Nampula official, who arrived in the area on Wednesday by ship.

Tens of thousands of people have been affected by the cyclone in Nampula, Mozambique's most populous province.

It struck on March 11 and quickly lost strength, sparing the country even worse damage.

Around 80 tropical storms or cyclones form above tropical waters around the world each year. The cyclone season in southern Africa lasts from November to April.