MAPUTO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican government said Monday that the tropical depression rainfall that pummeled the country last week had killed seven people while damaging or destroying over 14,200 houses.

Carlos Bonete, Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, said preliminary damage assessment indicated about 78,500 people were affected in the northern provinces of Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado.

The preliminary data put the death toll from the affected provinces at seven, while another provincial official said nine people were killed.

Bonete said the government needs over 5 million U.S. dollars to restore damaged infrastructure.

"The damages include the destruction of road infrastructures, classrooms, some sanitary units, as well as transmission poles, which culminated in the interruption of electricity supply in affected areas," said Bonete.

According to the authorities, rainfall that caused severe damages in northern Mozambique reached more than 500 millimeters.

In 2017, the Mozambican government approved a contingency plan for natural disasters estimated at 16 million U.S. dollars. According to Bonete, the government has a deficit of 13 million dollars.