UN says at least 22 people killed in Somalia floods

Locals wade through a flooded street after bursting of a river in Beledweyne, central Somalia, May 17, 2020. At least 24 people have died while 858, 667 others have been affected by heavy rains and riverine floods in Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on May 15. /Xinhua

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Flash flooding in central Somalia has killed 22 people and affected over 450,000, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said Sunday, after the Shabelle River burst its banks, forcing tens of thousands out of their homes.

Heavy rainfall earlier in the week sent water gushing into homes in Beledweyne town in the Hiran region, submerging roads, and buildings as residents grabbed their belongings and waded through flooded streets in search of refuge.

"Initial estimates indicate that the flash and riverine floods across Somalia have affected at least 460,470 people, of whom nearly 219,000 have been displaced from their homes mainly in flood-prone areas, and 22 killed," the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

The floods "have left a trail of destruction... inundating homes and farmland, washing away livestock, temporarily closing schools and health facilities, and damaging roads," the agency said in a situation report.

Source: AFP