Maputo - Eighteen children who went missing when floods surged across
parts of Mozambique have been rescued from a tiny island of dry land
where they survived on fruit for several days, local authorities said.
"The
children were found safe and sound yesterday by a government
helicopter," Mocuba district administrator Teresa Mauaio told AFP by
telephone on Friday.
Aged around 15, the children were taking part
in a traditional coming-of-age ritual when they were surprised by
rising waters, she said.
"The ritual can take up to thirty days,
so even when they became isolated, the children carried on as if nothing
had happened," said Mauaio, adding that they ate mangoes and other
fruit.