By Own Correspondent- Government will conduct a census using official records to ascertain the number of people who have been staying in communities that were affected by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani and Chipinge.

This comes as South Africa yesterday dispatched a team of 12 people — including police officers and sniffer dogs — to Manicaland Province to help with rescue and recovery efforts of corpses suspected to be buried under debris of collapsed building following Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba spoke about the census on Monday while apprising UNFPA representative Dr Esther Muia of the situation in the affected areas.

Dr Gwaradzimba said there was a large number of people who have not been accounted for since the disaster struck, making it difficult to rely on assumptions.

“We have got a number of people who died and it is very difficult to ascertain the exact number,” she said.-StateMedia