Two women died in the district of Chibuto, southern Mozambique, attacked by crocodiles during the floods of the last few days, authorities announced yesterday.
The two victims were trying to save some crops “from their gardens” due to flooding, and the latest incident happened on Saturday, said Sergio Moiane, district administrator.
“They went back to their gardens when the reptiles were fleeing from the river current,” he told Radio Mozambique, appealing to the population to stay away from flooded areas.
The “machambas”, subsistence agriculture gardens, are the main source of food for most Mozambican families in rural areas.
The crocodile is one of the animals that causes the most fatalities annually in the country, having been responsible for 76 deaths in 2020, according to data from the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) regarding recorded incidents – many go unreported.
The river basins of southern Mozambique have been experiencing flooding since the beginning of the month due to heavy rain that has fallen over that part of the country.