Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated in Mozambique as the second cyclone in just six weeks destroys houses, uproots trees and cuts power lines.

Cyclone Kenneth is bringing gusts of up to 175mph, and is the most powerful storm ever to hit the east African country's northern coast.

Since making landfall on Thursday afternoon, it has claimed at least three lives, including that of a woman killed by a falling tree in the city of Pemba, an emergency committee said.

Last month, Cyclone Idai killed more than 600 people and displaced tens of thousands.

Image: About 15,000 people are now living in the open or in shelters and tents

With soil and dams already saturated, the World Food Programme says Cyclone Kenneth could drop as much as 600 millimetres (2ft) of rain over the next 10 days - twice the amount brought by Cyclone Idai.


While Kenneth has already weakened, it is moving slowly, dropping huge amounts of water as it does so, and flooding will remain a concern through the weekend.

The quality of the infrastructure means many people are likely to lose their homes. In rural areas outside Pemba, many houses are made of mud. In the main town on the island of Ibo, 90% of houses have been destroyed, officials said.

Image: The homes of about 30,000 people have been evacuated

Jorg Salzer, who owns a hotel on Ibo island, said the situation was "quite terrible".

He added: "All my staff, they lost their houses so they sought shelter inside the hotel. There has been no aid from outside. I'm afraid of huge suffering for the population."

About 15,000 people are now living in the open or in shelters and tents, with food and water urgently required.

The homes of about 30,000 people have been evacuated in all, but 700,000 people could be at risk, Mozambique's disaster management agency said.

UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said Kenneth "may require a major new humanitarian operation".

Reports suggest a large of number of homes have been destroyed in Macomia district, adjacent to Ibo.

Quissanga district has indicated "extensive damage" to houses, and communication links with Macomia and Muidumbe districts are down, the Red Cross said.