Death toll rises to 67 from Ethiopia floods
Pastor Dale Morgan
Wednesday November 1, 3:39 AM Reuters
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Death toll rises to 67 from Ethiopia floods*
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The death toll has risen to 67 from floods in
southeastern Ethiopia after a river burst its banks last week, a relief
official said on Tuesday.
Another 2,000 people were displaced when the towns of Kibredehar and
Musthale were inundated following heavy rains in the country's highlands.
"The two towns were swamped and houses destroyed after the Wabe Shabelle
river burst its banks," said the official at the state-run Disaster
Prevention Bureau, who asked not to be named.
"Sixty-seven people were killed and residents saw five of the bodies
being eaten by crocodiles."
A United Nations humanitarian agency said last month that devastating
flash floods in August had forced more than 135,000 Ethiopians to
abandon their homes.
Flooding typically occurs in Ethiopia's lowlands after heavy rains in
the June-September season drench the highlands. This year's flooding was
especially damaging because it followed a severe drought.