Sudan flood death toll triples to 100

July 18, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The death toll from floods that have ravaged Sudan over the past fortnight has tripled to around 100 people since last week, officials said Wednesday.

At least another 100 people were injured while some 5,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in the worst flooding to have hit the country since 1988, said a crisis centre cited by Sudan’s official SUNA news agency.

Caused by rising waters of the Nile and Gash rivers due to the rainy season, the flooding has inundated large swathes of land in eight out of Sudan’s 26 states over the past two weeks.

“The crisis centre thinks that this year’s floods will last long, with the average rainfall already having exceeded that of 1946 and 1988,” when some 60 people drowned, the agency reported.

The centre said its priority was to provide victims with accommodation, food, medicine and pumps, as well as assist with dyke building.

Working to help them were local authorities and agencies of the United Nations along with neighbouring countries such as Egypt and some Gulf states.

According to a previous assessment announced by the Sudanese interior ministry last week, around 30 people had died in the floods.

(AFP)