Kenya Airways cancels flights to Moroni as Cyclone Kenneth hits

Kenya Airways cancels flights to Moroni as Cyclone Kenneth hits

Kenya Airways on Friday cancelled flights to Moroni, the capital of Comoros citing severe weather.

In a statement on Thursday, the national carrier also said flights to Dzaoudzi, a commune in the French overseas department of Mayotte are also cancelled until further notice.

“We wish to inform our guests that we have cancelled flights to Dzaoudzi and Moroni due to closure of the airports by the local civil aviation authorities as a result of the unfavourable weather conditions. We are monitoring the situation and we shall give updates as we receive them,” KQ said on Twitter.

The flight cancellation follows the aftermath of Cyclone Kenneth in northern Mozambique, a country still recovering from another huge storm.

The cyclone has brought 220km/h (140mph) winds and has already killed three people on the island nation of Comoros.

Mozambique’s National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) said 30,000 people had been evacuated from areas likely to be hit.

“The compulsory evacuation process will continue until we have all people in secure ground,” INGC spokesman Paulo Tomas said. The INGC said it had food supplies ready to assist 140,000 people for 15 days.

Mozambican officials said on Wednesday more than 680,000 people were at risk from the latest storm. There were concerns that five rivers and coastal waterways could burst their banks, leading to severe flooding.

Parts of southern Tanzania could be affected by Cyclone Kenneth.

Authorities in southern Tanzania ordered evacuations of residents from low-lying areas and the closure of some schools and offices before the cyclone makes landfall on Thursday.

Last month, more than 1,000 people were reported killed by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

That storm lashed Beira with wind speeds of up to 170 km per hour on March 14 and heavy rains prompted flooding which submerged entire villages.

Additional Reporting by Reuters

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Cyclone Idai cyclone kenneth

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