BLANTYRE, Malawi

The death toll from Cyclone Freddy in southern Africa has exceeded 500, authorities said.

In Malawi alone, 438 have been confirmed dead with at least 282 more missing and 918 injured.

"About 345,183 have been people displaced are now in over 500 camps," Charles Kalemba, a commissioner at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, told Anadolu.

In Mozambique, at least 50 deaths have been confirmed so far, but the figure is expected to rise as rescuers continue searching for dozens of missing people.

The cyclone struck Mozambique and Malawi last weekend for the second time in a month, destroying scores of homes and triggering widespread floods.

In its first landfall in February, the storm killed 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique.

The Education Ministry in Malawi has temporarily suspended primary and secondary school classes in 10 districts.