Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3024291/sudan-flood-death-toll-reaches-62-after-weeks-torrential-rain
World/ Africa

Sudan flood death toll reaches 62 after weeks of torrential rain

  • Almost 200,000 people have been affected in at least 15 states across the country including the capital Khartoum
People walk past a house destroyed by floods in Khartoum, Sudan. Photo: Xinhua

Heavy rainfall and flash floods have killed 62 people in Sudan and left 98 others injured, the official SUNA news agency reported on Sunday.

Sudan has been hit by torrential rains since the start of July, affecting nearly 200,000 people in at least 15 states across the country including the capital Khartoum.

The worst affected area is the White Nile state in the south.

Flooding of the Nile river remains “the biggest problem”, SUNA said, citing a health ministry official.

On Friday the United Nations said 54 people had died due to the heavy rains.

People sit outside a house in the wake of floods in Khartoum. Photo: Xinhua
People sit outside a house in the wake of floods in Khartoum. Photo: Xinhua

It said more than 37,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged, quoting figures from the government body it partners with in the crisis response.

“Humanitarians are concerned by the high likelihood of more flash floods,” the UN said, adding that the rainy season was expected to last until October.

The floods are having a lasting humanitarian impact on communities, with cut roads, damaged water points, lost livestock and the spread of waterborne diseases by insects.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said an extra US$150 million were needed from donors to respond to surging waters, in addition to the US$1.1 billion required for the overall humanitarian situation in Sudan.