Floods in Somalia leave at least 22 dead

Flash floods in the center of Somalia killed 22 people and affected more than 450,000, OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, reported on Sunday. UNafter the overflow of the shabelle riverwhich forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes.

Heavy rains earlier in the week caused water to enter houses in the city of Beledweynein the region of hiransubmerging buildings and roads as residents retrieved their belongings and walked the flooded streets seeking shelter.

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“Early estimates indicate that flash and river flooding in Somalia affected at least 460,470 people, of whom almost 219,000 had to leave their homes and 22 died”, declared the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN.

This aerial view shows flooding in Beledweyne, in central Somalia, on May 13, 2023. (Photo by Hassan Ali ELMI / AFP) (HASSAN ALI ELMI /)

Water “it inundated homes and farmland. It dragged cattle, caused the temporary closure of schools and health centers and damaged roadsthe agency noted in a report on the situation.

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The catastrophe comes on top of an unprecedented drought that has left millions of Somalis on the brink of famine, and a nation that has fought an Islamist insurgency for decades.

Source: Elcomercio