NAIROBI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The cyclone Idai that is pounding southern African countries of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe has taken a heavier toll on the elderly population, an international charity said on Friday.

HelpAge International in a statement issued in Nairobi urged humanitarian agencies to give special attention to older people when delivering emergency support for victims of the worst cyclone to pound the southern hemisphere in recent years.

"Many older women and men are sleeping rough in makeshift shelters, often without water, food and medication that is crucial for their health," said Andrew Collodel, HelpAge International's head of humanitarian affairs.

Statistics from the UN indicate that Cyclone Idai has so far claimed 400 lives while an estimated 400,000 lost their homes in the aftermath of the violent storm that hit the southern African region since last week.

Collodel appealed to humanitarian agencies to ramp up support for vulnerable populations displaced by the violent storm in order to minimize casualties.

"We need to provide immediate life-saving support to those most at risk, but we also need to work with other agencies and donors to ensure that older people are not ignored, that their voices are heard," said Collodel.

He urged humanitarian agencies to provide long-term support required by senior citizens displaced by cyclone Idai to help them rebuild their lives and that of their communities.

Mozambique which has the highest number of people affected by cyclone Idai has already declared a state of emergency to help coordinate emergency response that includes supply of clean water, food and medicine to victims.

Ferdinando Almeida, HelpAge International program coordinator in Mozambique said that charity groups have dispatched teams to assess the needs of elderly victims of the storm.