Tanzania floods kill five, leave around 2,500 homeless

Flooding in Tanzania has killed five people and forced about 2,500 to flee their homes after a week of torrential rain in the country's south, an official said Friday.

Schools have closed in Kyela, a district on the border of Lake Malawi, and families fled to shelters after losing everything in the rising waters.

"The damage from these floods is enormous," Salome Magambo, the district's administrative secretary, told AFP.

"Since the beginning of the week we have reported five people killed and 2,570 homeless, some of whom are staying with friends or in schools and churches."

Food and medical services have been extended to those stranded, she added.

Farming land in the district known for its rice production has also been inundated, destroying crops and raising fears of food shortages in coming months.

In April 2018 at least 14 people were killed in torrential rains and flooding in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's economic capital.

100 displaced on remote island by Papua New Guinea quake
Kokopo, Papua New Guinea (AFP) May 17, 2019 - More than 100 people living on a remote tropical island were displaced by this week's massive earthquake in Papua New Guinea, according to responders who, days later, have finally reached affected communities.

Disaster authorities said an elderly disabled woman was injured when one of several homes collapsed in the outlying Duke of York islands in the north of the country amid Tuesday's quake.

Areas close to the epicentre have reported surprisingly little damage from the magnitude 7.5 tremblor, but even as power has returned to urban areas, the government has struggled to reach remote island communities.

Provincial Disaster Coordinator Wilson Matava told AFP that his office was now planning to "provide tarpaulins for temporary shelter, food and water and also mosquito nets" for residents of the Duke of York Islands.

The low lying isles sit on two tectonic plates and are at risk of being inundated by rising sea levels.

The terrifying quake late Tuesday sent residents running from their homes for safety and sparked fears of a tsunami.

It occurred around 11pm (1300 GMT), some 44 kilometres (27 miles) northeast of Kokopo on New Britain island, the US Geological Survey said.

Papua New Guinea's poor communications infrastructure, lack of roads and difficult terrain mean that sometimes it can be days before the full impact of a natural disaster is known.

The United Nations estimated that around 120,000 people live within 50 kilometres of the epicentre.

According to Matava further assessments are still needed in the coming days.

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Floods claim 15 lives in Mali: official
Bamako (AFP) May 16, 2019
Heavy floods claimed 15 lives Thursday in the Malian capital Bamako along with serious property damage, authorities said. A statement said the flooding claimed a "provisional toll" of 15 dead and two injured. "Teams are in place to rescue the distressed people," the government said, calling on residents to be "prudent" in the face of the disaster. Flooding is common in Mali, located in the semi-desert Sahel region. ... read more