LILONGWE, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11,370 people, or about 2,527 households, have been affected by floods and heavy rains caused by Tropical Cyclone Jude in nine districts of Malawi, while three people have been reported missing.

Malawi's Department of Disaster Management Affairs announced in a statement on Thursday that Phalombe and Nsanje, two districts bordering Mozambique, have been the hardest hit, with 5,634 and 2,007 affected individuals, respectively.

According to the statement signed by Charles Kalemba, commissioner for disaster management affairs, 3,029 people have been completely displaced, and six camps have been established to provide shelter in some of the affected districts.

The statement said that 15 people have been injured and that the national search and rescue team "is still conducting operations following reports of flooding around the Thuchila River in Phalombe and the capsizing of a boat in the Ruo River, Nsanje, an incident that left three people missing."

Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in Nampula, Mozambique, on Monday, bringing continuous rains and strong winds to southern Malawi. As a precaution, the government suspended classes in primary, secondary and higher education institutions across more than 15 districts for three days.

Despite the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services lifting the Tropical Cyclone Jude alert on Thursday, saying that the cyclone is now "far away" from Malawi, rain continued to fall in some southern districts. Enditem

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