Cyclone Freddy to ease after battering Malawi, Mozambique

By VITUS-GREGORY GONDWE and WANJOHI KABUKURU
Associated Press

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — After barreling through Mozambique and Malawi since late last week and killing hundreds and displacing thousands more, Cyclone Freddy is set to move away from land Wednesday, which should bring some relief to southern African regions that have been ravaged by its torrential rain and powerful winds. The cyclone has killed at least 199 people in Malawi’s southern region and within and around Blantyre, the country’s financial hub, according to local authorities. In neighboring Mozambique, officials say at least 20 people have died since the storm made landfall in the port town of Quelimane on Saturday night.