As torrential rains swept across central Mozambique, turning rivers into raging torrents, a young couple found themselves fighting for survival atop a solitary rock in the middle of the Vanduzi River. For more than 24 hours, they clung to hope and to each other, surrounded by fast-moving floodwaters in Gorongosa district, Sofala province.
The ordeal began on Tuesday, when the couple attempted to cross the Vanduzi, a river swollen well beyond its banks after days of relentless rainfall. Within moments, the current overpowered them, forcing them onto a rocky outcrop in the middle of the river. Cut off from the shore, soaked by rain and battered by wind, they spent a full day without food or water, or rather, drinking water.
Their dramatic rescue came on Christmas Eve. Acting on an urgent request from the Gorongosa district government, Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) coordinated with Zambeze Delta Safaris (ZDS), a private conservation company, which deployed a helicopter normally used for anti-poaching and wildlife protection missions.
Images released by ANAC capture the tension of the moment: the helicopter hovering low amid heavy rain, its blades fighting the wind as rescuers carefully winched the stranded couple from the rock, the river surging violently beneath them. Against the odds, both were brought to safety.
The rescue has become a rare moment of relief in a province grappling with the deadly consequences of the rainy season. Since October, at least 16 people have lost their lives in Sofala due to severe weather, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD). Two of those deaths occurred within a 72-hour period — a two-year-old child in the coastal city of Beira and an elderly man in Búzi district – both victims of drowning.
“The rainy season as a whole has already claimed 16 lives,” said Aristides Armando, INGD’s delegate in Sofala, stressing the growing human toll of floods that continue to affect communities across the province.
Districts including Dondo, Nhamatanda, Búzi, Chibabava and Gorongosa have been among the hardest hit, with flooding reported in the Púnguè and Búzi river basins. Roads have been cut, farmland submerged, and access to essential services disrupted, compounding the vulnerability of already fragile rural communities.
Authorities warn that the danger is far from over. Mozambique’s Regional Water Administration for the Centre (ARA Centro) has issued alerts over rising water levels, particularly in the lower Búzi and upper Púnguè basins, following “heavy to very heavy” rainfall in recent days. With forecasts predicting further rain, the risk of additional flooding remains high across Sofala, Manica and parts of Zambézia province.
“Given the prevailing hydrological situation, further rises in water levels are expected, potentially leading to localised flooding and impacts on roads, infrastructure and agricultural fields,” ARA Centro said in a statement, urging residents to avoid crossing rivers and to move away from flood-prone areas.
For the rescued couple, survival was a matter of endurance and timing. For Mozambique, their story is a stark reminder of the increasing intensity of seasonal floods — and of the fine line between life and death when rivers burst their banks.
