Floods ‘may claim 1,000 lives’

POLICE are preparing for the death toll in southern Ethiopia floods to rise up to 1,000, a senior officer said yesterday.

Rivers in southern, northern and eastern Ethiopia burst their banks after 11 days of heavy rains, and more rain was expected.

The scale of the disaster is overwhelming impoverished Ethiopia’s rescue efforts, which have been bolstered by UN and other international agencies.

“Things are getting out of control. We are preparing ourselves for up to a 1,000 dead bodies from this flood alone. We need additional helicopters and boats for rescuing,” said Inspector Daniel Gezahenge, a spokesman for the southern regional police.

Mr Daniel said the authorities were burying most bodies immediately to prevent a disease outbreak.

“We are appealing to aid agencies and the international community for medical supplies, food, clean water, blankets and anything that can help,” he said. “There are dead bodies and animals in the water making the likelihood for a disease outbreak very high.”

Mr Daniel said the water level is rising along River Kibish, which is near the Omo Valley, where as many as 10,000 people have been stranded in the south.

The death toll in southern Ethiopia was 364. Another 256 were killed in the east and six in the north. According to the United Nations, 300 people are still missing in the east.

Police said they were calling off the search for bodies in eastern Ethiopia, but are continuing their search and rescue in the south.

Rescuers fear a cholera outbreak among survivors. Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and bad sanitation.

The rains, which usually fall between June and September, are some of the heaviest seen in a country that frequently suffers severe drought and where millions depend on food aid.