Floods kill over 20, displace thousands in Ethiopia

NAIROBI: More than 20 people have died and over 12,000 others have been forced out of their homes in Ethiopia´s Somali region due to flash flooding triggered by torrential rains, the regional government said Saturday.

Bridges and roads have been destroyed by the downpour, making it difficult to reach affected households, the Somali Regional State Communication Bureau said in a statement, with damage to livestock, crops and property also reported.

“More than 20 people have died in the flood so far... more than 12,000 families have been displaced,” the statement said.

“Rising rainfall and forecasts show that the risk of flooding remains high.”

The UN´s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said last month that eastern Africa would likely encounter heavier than normal rains over the October-December period because of the El Nino phenomenon.

El Nino is a naturally occurring pattern associated with increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.