Flash floods wash away homes in Sudan; over 60 dead

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains continued to tear up homes across Sudan this week, with the death toll rising to 66 since the start of the rainy season, an official said.

Earlier this week, authorities had said that at least 50 people were killed since the rains started in June.

Brig. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, spokesman for Sudan's National Council for Civil Defense, said Tuesday that at least 28 people were reported injured during the same period.

Some 24,000 homes and two dozen government buildings have been badly damaged or completely destroyed, he said.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since an October military coup derailed its short-lived democratic transition following the 2019 removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Overall, around 136,000 people have been impacted by heavy rainfall and floods in 12 of Sudan's 18 provinces, according to the government-run Humanitarian Aid Commission.

Sudan's rainy season usually starts in June and lasts until the end of September, with floods peaking in August and September.

More than 80 people were killed last year in flood-related incidents during the rainy season.

In 2020, authorities declared Sudan a natural disaster area and imposed a three-month state of emergency across the country after flooding and heavy rains killed around 100 people and inundated over 100,000 houses.