Floods devastate Ethiopia
2005-04-26 09:01
Addis Ababa - At least 72 people have been killed and thousands more made homeless in devastating floods that have submerged more than 30 villages in south-east Ethiopia, an official said on Tuesday.
People, housing, other property and livestock have been washed away by raging waters from Wabe Shebell river which burst its banks at the weekend after days of heavy rains, the official said.
"The death toll right now stands at 72," said Ahmed Abdi Mouhamoud, a World Food Programme official in Gondie 1 200km south-east of Addis Ababa.
"At least 16 villages are surrounded by water and we are unable to figure out the death toll in those areas," he said adding that another 15 villages in Musahin area 120km from Gondie were also reported to be under water.
"People are facing very serious danger," Mouhamoud said. "We have reports of the seriousness of the flooding in those areas."
He said the river was beginning to subside but stressed that the situation in Gondie and Musahin was far from safe as the rush of receding waters had the potential to cause further damage.
"Even though the water level is decreasing, the danger is still very serious," Mouhamoud said, noting that no proper disaster survey had yet been completed.
"We are unable to go downstream on the river to see any person or animals, anything that was washed away," he said.
Relief officials in the devastated area were awaiting the arrival of two flights of humanitarian goods from Addis Ababa which they hope will contain enough food, medicine and helicopter fuel to meet emergency needs and conduct an assessment, he said.
The flooding, which began on Saturday, followed days of uninterrupted rain in the highlands to the north of the affected area in Ethiopia's Somali state and hit most villages at night, taking sleeping residents by surprise.
On Monday, an official in West Emi district in the state, said people were still clinging to trees in a desperate attempt to avoid being swept away by the flood waters.
Before the flooding the area had been repeatedly hit by drought.