(Beledweyne) Floods in central Somalia, caused by a sudden rise in a river, have displaced some 200,000 people, a regional official said on Saturday.
The flooding of the Shabelle River in the locality of Beledweyne in the region of Hiran has forced thousands of inhabitants to abandon their homes.
“Some 200,000 people are now displaced due to the flash flooding of the Shabelle River in Beledeyene locality and the number may increase,” said Deputy Governor for Social Affairs in Hiran region Ali Osman Hussein.
“We are doing everything we can to help those affected,” he told AFP.
PHOTO HASAN ALI ELMI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The flooding of the Shabelle River inundated parts of Beledweyne.
The deputy governor of the region Hassan Ibrahim Abdulle said on Friday that “three people had been killed by the floods”.
Residents told AFP they had to rush out of their homes in the middle of the night this week when water began to flood streets and flood buildings.
“All we could do was evacuate and save our children. We didn’t take any business, ”testified one of them, Iman Badal Omar.
In southern Somalia in March, torrential rains plunged communities into chaos, destroying or damaging bridges, roads and homes. At least 14 people died.
The Horn of Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change with increasingly frequent and intense crises.