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Ethiopia Flood Death Toll at 84 |
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| ETHIOPIA: April 26, 2005 | ||
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ADDIS ABABA - Floods killed at least 84 people after a river burst its banks in eastern Ethiopia because of heavy rains, officials said on Monday.
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The flooding struck nearly 40 villages along the banks of the Wabe Shebelle river in Ethiopia's Ogaden region, destroying many homes, an emergency official said. "Following an investigation of more areas affected by the flood, it is now confirmed that the death toll from Wabe Shebelle river flooding has risen to 68 and could be rising," relief coordinator Muktar Mohammed Seyyid told Reuters. Aid group Save the Children UK said another 16 bodies were discovered downstream in the Kebre-Beya area. The river burst its banks on Saturday night after 48 hours of heavy rain. The remote area is 700 km (440 miles) east of the capital, Addis Ababa. "The flood caught many people in 37 villages along the river bank unaware while they were sleeping," he said. He said many villagers whose houses were washed away had camped on higher ground without shelter or food. The Ethiopian government sent two planes full of food and supplies to the region and relief workers were beginning to deliver them by helicopter, Seyyid said.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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