Thousands of people have been displaced by floods in Mali's capital this week after a dam overflowed near the city, flooding the rivers Niger and Senegal, the BBC reported on Friday.
Homes, hotels and other buildings have been submerged in Bamako's worst floods in 40 years, BBC said. Mali's interior and energy ministers have toured the city to assess the situation. Local authorities have started accommodating some victims in schools and other temporary shelters, news organisations reported. The mayor's office in Bamako has ordered several tonnes of cereals for the victims and the authorities are identifying new shelters, PANA said.
Bamako residents have blamed the energy ministry for precipitating the disaster by opening the floodgates of the Selingue hydro-electric dam following heavy rains, BBC said. However the ministry said that it had warned residents of the impending floods, PANA reported.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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