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Dozens dead, hundreds homeless following torrential rains

Country Map - Djibouti IRIN
Djibouti
Several Djiboutian ministers met representatives of UN and other humanitarian agencies, and foreign envoys accredited to the country on Thursday to discuss widespread flooding that has left dozens of people dead, especially in the capital, Djibouti City. Interior Minister Abdoulkader Doualeh told the meeting, which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that at least 48 people were believed to have been drowned by the torrential rains. Another 1,500 people were homeless after rising waters washed away their homes, he added. Schools remained closed for the third day while several roads in the capital were rendered impassable after gushing water washed away their surface. Many parts of the capital were without electricity as the power supply was disrupted. The government stopped traffic on the main Djibouti-Addis Ababa railway amid reports that the line may have been damaged. French and US troops based in Djibouti flew helicopter missions to rescue people stranded by the floods. Government officials told IRIN on the sidelines of Thursday's meeting that the government was preparing to appeal for US $20 million to fund a project to secure people living near the nearby River Ambouli, which had burst its banks, causing casualties and damage. The officials said many of the bodies of those who had drowned were recovered. A separate statement issued by the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday said the government was trying to assist the victims' families. The torrential rains, which began on Sunday, intensified the next day. Then, after briefly subsiding, they pounded the city once again early on Thursday morning. Djibouti is a small, normally dry country covering 23,200 sq km on northeastern Africa's Red Sea Coast, between Eritrea and Somalia. It has about 500,000 inhabitants.

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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