MOGADISHU, Somalia - The ongoing heavy rains in parts of Somalia could end causing a devastating impact of necessary mitigation measures are not put in place, Garowe Online reports.

Already, thousands of people have been displaced from their homes in central towns with thousands of livestock succumbing due to flooding across the horn of Africa country.

At least 15 people are feared dead after their boat capsized on Monday in Beledweyne town, 350 KM North of Mogadishu, with former security minister Abdirizak Mohamed confirming the tragic news.

Dahabo Hassan, a young Somali British who was an advisor to the Hirshabelle state President Mohamed Abdi Waare is dead in the tragic boat accident, per the officials. 

Sources within the town, located in Shebelle valley said at least 30 people were on board when the boat capsized. Already, 14 of them were rescued and the search for the missing still underway.

"I tweeted 4 days ago an appeal to the government and humanitarian agencies to act urgently on Beledwein flooding that has impacted 72,000 families," Abdirizak tweeted.

"I warned about its potential impact including displacement and loss of life. Sadly, today we lost 15 people including Dahabo and Sharmarke," he added.

Rescue operations are currently ongoing but there is little hope that more survivors will be retrieved. The town had experienced heavy downpour in recent weeks due to climatic changes.

Fortuntely, the Mayor of Beledweyne Safiya Hassan, the first female Mayor in Somalia and former Hiran region's governor, Abdifitah Afrah, was among those rescued by the emergency team.

However, one of her aides is still missing and presumably feared dead.

The boat is said to have been overloaded. It's not clear where the mayor and her delegation were heading to but reports say they were en route to a nearby village to visit people displaced by the river floods.

Several other people were rescued and emergency teams have continued to search for more surviving passengers. The cause of the incident was not yet known but the boat was overloaded and the water had been flowing fast.

The former Somali security minister called for the deployment of emergency teams to the region, adding that the situation could even become more catastrophic if the humanitarian aid is not given.

Flooding is common in Somalia during the month of October when most regions receive long rains. In neighboring Kenya, the government last week reported 29 deaths.

Besides flooding and possible death, it's usually difficult for affected people to access hospitals due to impassable roads across Somalia, a move that could result in more deaths due to delayed emergency serves.

Omar Nor has contributed to this reporting by Abuga Makori in Nairobi.

GAROWE ONLINE