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29 March 2024

Eleven die after heavy downpour in Angola

Published
By Agencies

Eleven people died on Thursday after a heavy downpour in Angola's coastal province of Benguela, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of Luanda, state radio RNA reported.

The extent of destruction is still unknown as authorities are waiting for the rain to subside to enable relief and rescue work to start in the affected areas.

"It is mud everywhere and we can barely work. We are waiting for this (rain) to calm down to assess the damages," Dumilde Rangel, governor of Benguela, said on RNA radio.

"The people here are in need of shelter and food."

Schools were closed and workers stayed at home as flooded roads in affected towns made circulation virtually impossible.

It is the first time that rains caused death since they began to pour down in the Angolan southern provinces.

The war-ravaged infrastructure in the country can barely cope with the amount of downpour and authorities are already fearing a possible outbreak of cholera that usually accompanies rains. (AFP)