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Five killed in Zambia floods
14/02/2007 17:18 - (SA)
Lusaka - Companies in Zambia are reaching into their pockets to help victims of recent flooding in the southern African country, which according to officials on Wednesday has claimed the lives of at least five people and left around 50 000 homeless.
Celtel Zambia Limited, a cellphone operator, National Milling Company and Zambia Sugar Company have together donated $74 000 to relief efforts after heavy rains damaged roads and washed away bridges, cutting off parts of the country.
President Levy Mwanawasa has ordered national and local government officials to bring him up to date on the situation.
At least five people have died in weeks of flooding, swept away by floodwaters or crushed when their houses caved in and an estimated 50 000 people have been left homeless, said the office of vice president Rupiah Banda on Wednesday.
189 cases of cholera
At least 189 cases of cholera have been reported since January. Health ministry spokesperson Canicius Banda said the outbreak had been brought under control and that the disease was no longer spreading.
District commissioners in all of Zambia's 72 districts have been instructed to assess the damage in order to claim government assistance.
Several Southern African countries have been affected by flooding caused by weeks of heavy rains, including Mozambique, Malawi and Angola.
About 70 000 people have been evacuated in central Mozambique in the worst flooding in that country in six years, in which at least 29 people have died so far.
The huge Cahora Bassa dam on the Zambezi River is also filling up, prompting the authorities to step up the discharge of water into surrounding areas.
At least 50 000 people have been left homeless and over 4 600 homes destroyed.
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