Sudan flooding death toll rises to 112

Largest number of deaths occurred in central Kordofan area

Wading through flood water in Makaylab, River Nile state, 400 kilometres north of Khartoum. AFP

The death toll from floods in Sudan has risen to 112, authorities said on Sunday.

Flooding has destroyed 34,944 homes and caused partial damage to 49,096 others, said the National Civil Defence Council. At least 115 people have been injured.

The previous death toll – 105 – was announced on Friday.

Most of the deaths are caused by the roofs of houses collapsing, or by drowning or electrocution.

Heavy downpours and rising water levels in the Blue Nile and White Nile are causing the flooding in Sudan, where the rainy season begins in July and lasts until the end of September.

Sudan is hit by floods virtually every year during the rainy season. The worst of the flooding, however, occurs during August and September.

The floods’ severity and the extent of destruction they cause varies from year to year, with this year’s rated by Sudanese officials as among the worst since record flooding in the 1940s.

The highest number of fatalities in one state was in North Kordofan, in central Sudan, with 26 deaths. The largest number of homes completely or partially destroyed in one state are in Al Jazirah state south of Khartoum.