Flash floods kill 71 in Angola
2007-01-25 11:12
Luanda - Seventy-one people have died in flash floods after torrential rains across Angola, with almost all the fatalities reported in the seaside capital, say officials.
Fire service spokesperson Faustino Sebastiao said: "According to the last count, there have been 71 deaths.
"Of the total figure, 65 deaths took place in Luanda and six others in the southern province of Benguela."
Luanda was home to at least 4.5 million people and despite Angola's oil riches had a skeletal infrastructure, which had been further damaged by the downpours. The rains flooded arterial bridges in the city centre.
In March 2005, flooding in northern Angola - a former Portuguese colony, which was still recovering from a 27-year civil war - left more than 10 000 people without shelter.
Makeshift shelters had been put up in Luanda to house those left homeless by the flash floods, which had also hit telephone lines.