Government of Timor-Leste

Presidency of the Council of Ministers

Eighth Constitutional Government

.............................................................................................................................

Press Release

Government expresses its solidarity with Mozambique and Indonesia

On behalf of the people of Timor-Leste, the Government presents its condolences to the families and friends of the victims of cyclone Idai in Mozambique and the floods in the province of Papua in Indonesia.

The provisional assessment after the passage of cyclone Idai in Mozambique indicates at least 84 people have died and more than 1,000 were injured, but national authorities say the scale of the disaster is huge and could reach a thousand dead. In Beira, capital of Sofala province, 90% of the city and surrounding areas will have been damaged or destroyed. The cyclone, with heavy rains and winds of up to 170 kilometers per hour, hit Mozambique and Zimbabwe and Malawi causing at least 200 deaths, with hundreds of missing people and tens of thousands left isolated.

In the Indonesian province of Papua, floods caused by heavy rains last Saturday killed at least 50 people, wounded 70 and more than 4,000 displaced. Bridges, roads and dozens of homes have been damaged by flooding, with the impact of the disaster and the number of casualties likely to increase.

The Government of Timor-Leste commends the work of the authorities of the affected countries in their search and rescue work under conditions of extreme difficulty.

The spokesman for the Eight Constitutional Government, Minister of State Agio Pereira, said: "Our sentiments go to families who have lost loved ones and we salute those who remain determined in the search for survivors. Timor-Leste expresses its solidarity with the Governments and the people of the Republic of Mozambique and of the Republic of Indonesia, in these difficult days and in facing to the challenges that are presented for the coming weeks and months". ENDS