MAPUTO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Flooding has killed 10 people in Mozambique and heavy rain is still falling on the southern African country's central and southern regions, the state-run Noticias reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper said roads had been cut in the southern provinces of Gaza and Inhambane, and in central Manica province where 10 people have drowned.

Casirimo Abreu, deputy director of the Institute of National Disaster Management (INGC), told Reuters there was a risk of heavy flooding in central Mozambique following weeks of torrential rains that caused many rivers to burst their banks.

"The situation continues to worsen due to persistent downpours (and) we are worried in terms of logistics and want people in lower areas to leave now as a matter of prevention in the event of floods."

He said the INGC had received reports of deaths but was still investigating whether they were directly linked to flooding.

The Zambezi River in central Mozambique, which stretches 500 km (300 miles) from lake Cahora Bassa into the Indian ocean, is now above flood alert levels, swelled by rains in neighbouring Malawi and Zambia.

Tropical cyclone Jokwe swept across southern Africa with winds of up to 200 kph (125 mph) in early 2008, leading to three weeks of severe floods which devastated Mozambique. (Reporting by Charles Mangwiro, editing by Nick Vinocur)

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