Major floods in early 2008 have plunged southern Africa into a growing humanitarian crisis, killing dozens and displacing thousands.

Heavy rains have caused rivers in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi to burst, sweeping away livestock and inundating agricultural land. The floods have raised fears of a repeat of disasters in 2007 and 2001 that left tens of thousands of villagers without food, clean water or shelter.

In Mozambique, the United Nations said the floods could be the worst in living memory as raging waters threatened to engulf farmland and wreck infrastructure like roads and bridges in the centre of the country.

Relief workers rescued thousands of people cut off by the flood waters of the Zambezi River. Many were lifted to safely by helicopter from trees and rooftops, evoking memories of Mozambique’s 2001 flood crisis when images of a baby being born in a tree were broadcast round the world.

In Zimbabwe, state media reported dozens of deaths since mid-December. The cash-strapped government was working with aid agencies to help villagers who had lost houses and crops.

Zimbabwe has struggled to feed itself amid a deep economic slide marked by chronic food shortages and runaway inflation, and hopes for an economic recovery have hinged on a good harvest in 2008.

In Malawi, overflowing rivers swamped agricultural areas that had experienced food shortages in the past as a result of floods, displacing hundreds.

Zambia launched a fresh appeal for Western aid to help the government cope after flooding cut off a key trade route with Malawi and Mozambique.

Heavy downpours are common in southern Africa during the annual rainy season, which generally runs from November to April, but the relentless rain is unusual.