Some superstitious villagers in Chimanimani believe that
there was more to the floods than just Cyclone Idai.
Hundreds of people have been reported dead, while thousands
were displaced mainly in Manicaland following the cyclone-induced floods that
occurred last week.
Villagers around the Skyline area, who spoke to NewsDay
Weekender, narrated how it all started, with some saying it was a mysterious
thing, while others said tremors could not be ruled out.
The villagers narrated how disaster struck after a
dynamite-like sound that led to the bursting of mountains.
Phebion Mukamba, from Chinamira village in Skyline, said
there was lightning first before a loud bang that triggered massive mudslides.
“What has happened here is mysterious and there is more
than just a cyclone. It was raining on the night and very windy. I looked
outside and saw something like a colourful ball in the atmosphere. Then, there
was lightning and a loud bang was heard after that. It was not thunder. The
mountains burst, and there was disaster. Some homes were swept by mudslides,
while mountains were oozing water that destroyed roads. It was scary,” he said.
Mukamba said the disaster was mysterious. Chimanimani reportedly received excess rainfall of 600mm in
24hrs.
A number of people are still missing, with searches
currently underway. Another villager, Moses Mhlanga, said the disaster was
mysterious and could not be attributed to Cyclone Idai alone.
“As you can see, every mountain is burst. Is it that
Chimanimani is sitting on top of rivers or the sea? Most of the water was
oozing from the mountains, and what led to such bursts? I think something
happened underground. Everyone heard the bang, it was loud and what followed
was disaster,” he said. Newsday
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