Maputo  , Mozambique - Mozambican health authorities on Thursday announced an alert in the face of an outbreak of cholera that has already killed 50 people in central Mozambique.

The outbreak started last weekend in the district of Guro in the province of Manica, immediately claiming 36 lives out of more than 100 cases diagnosed, the daily Noticias reported.

Mauricio Vieira, the provincial governor, said the so-called red alert was launched in order to control the spread of the disease to other regions while the rainy season is still in its initial days.

Meteorological authorities have just issued a warning that this rainy season will be the worst in years, with stronger-than-usual downpours threatening people's lives with waterborne diseases and flooding.

A lack of information between villages and the authorities is worsening the situation and contributing to the death toll, a senior health official said.

Manica Province Health Director Quinhas Fernandes told reporters that these problems make it impossible to accurately track the number of deaths.

"More deaths might be occurring in Guro, Chinda and neighbouring areas where we are continuing to discover people who perished due to the disease," he said.

There has also been a cholera outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, at least eight people have died of cholera in Zambia's northern province in recent days. (dpa)