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Floods in Sudan destroy thousands of homes, killing at least 65 people

Photo of flood in Sudan 2013: Credit - Nafeer Sudan

 

In Sudan at least 65 people were killed, and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed, during recent torrential rain and flooding.

Sudan usually experiences heavy rain between June and October each year, however, this year’s disastrous downpour has damaged more than 30,400 homes and killed almost 700 cattle.

At least 14 schools have been damaged across the country, and more than 1,600 water sources have been contaminated with Sudan’s Khartoum, Blue Nile, and River Nile states among the hardest hit by the floods.

The UN said on Wednesday that more than 50,000 people had been affected by the flooding.

The civil defence also reported that it had dispatched helicopters and supplies to Eastern Gadarif where around 2,000 gold miners were trapped due to the bad weather.

In the Blue Nile province, a seasonal river burst causing the local population to rely on what surface water they can find, however, this can increase the risk of disease outbreaks due to the trend of open defecation and poor sanitation, say humanitarian groups.

Sudan’s meteorological authority has warned that more rainfall is to be expected in August and September in most parts of the country.

Read more from the Jakarta Post, and Al Jazeera.

 

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