43 killed by floods in Benin
By Nangayi Guyson – At least 43 people have been killed by floods after heavy rains in West African nation of Benin. The United Nations’s humanitarian agency said.
A statement released on Saturday by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs says flood waters now cover two-thirds of the country’s territory. Unseasonably heavy rains have caused the Oueme and Mono rivers to overflow, leaving nearly 100 000 people homeless.
More than 800 cases of cholera have been reported so far. Aid workers fear the spread of a cholera epidemic in the wake of the floods. The bacterial infection passes through contaminated water and can lead to dehydration and death. About 55,000 homes are reported to have been destroyed and some of the casualties were a result of houses collapsing, according to officials.
