Death toll in flooding rises

The death toll from recent heavy flooding in Madagascar has risen to 25, while more than 8,000 people have been left homeless, a disaster official told IRIN. "More than 58,000 people have been affected in four regions," said Jacki Ranemdearason of the Centre National de Secours (CNS), the national body for disaster management. He said the immediate concern was for food and seeds, as more than 35,424 hectares of rice fields had been submerged by the heavy rains that ravaged portions of the provinces of eastern Tomasina and western Mahajinga in recent weeks. The Indian Ocean island experienced severe rice shortages after cyclones Gafilo in April 2004 and Ernest in February 2005 destroyed crops, sparking street protests when prices of the staple food rose sharply. According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there were concerns over possible outbreaks of diarrhoea and malaria. Road and communications networks have also been affected by the floods. As a result, aid from the capital, Antananarivo, is taking two to three days to reach the affected areas.