Flooding sparked by heavy rains has killed 48 people and displaced nearly 70,000 others in Malawi, local media reported Wednesday, prompting calls on donors to resume aid they had suspended over corruption. According to dpa, President Peter Mutharika declared a third of the southern African country a disaster zone on Tuesday. Floods have hit the south the hardest, with officials saying many of the victims died in Mangochi district, 100 kilometres south of the commercial capital Blantyre. The rail company Central East African Railways said it had suspended all passenger trains due to the washing away of some bridges and tracks. Mutharika launched an urgent appeal for foreign aid, saying tents and food were urgently needed.
