Togo Flooding Submerges Villages

by insaniac | August 3, 2008 at 06:22 am
492 views | 5 Recommendations | 1 comment

The West African nation of Togo is suffering intense flooding as entire villages are submerged. Thousands are now homeless as infrastructure is getting destroyed.

Nine major bridges have been wiped out, stranding villagers in flooded hamlets, he said. As many as 5 000 people have been rendered homeless, according to the government's website, but aid workers say the number could be much higher.

Ghana, Togo's neighbour, sent in helicopters to rescue villagers trapped in their flooded homes. France sent a disaster crew on Friday from its peacekeeping mission in nearby Côte d'Ivoire.

But Togo's main opposition party criticised the government for not doing enough and called for an emergency session of Parliament to address the disaster.
The floods have affected several parts of the country, including the capital, Lome, and the Maritime and Plateau regions, a BBC reporter says. Downpours have also destroyed bridges, severing transport between the north and the rest of the country.

The army has begun rescue operations while the government has appealed for international aid. At least three people have been killed in the flooding, UN officials said. Farming communities in central Togo have also been submerged in water after rivers burst their banks. In the south of the country, 23 stranded children were rescued by helicopter provided by the air force in neighbouring Ghana, the BBC's Ebow Godwin reports from Lome. The government has decided to evacuate affected areas and create settlements for those displaced, our correspondent says. [via BBC]
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Uwe Paschen
Uwe Paschen
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 19:42 on September 10th, 2008

insaniac, I like this story. It's good stuff.

This story was created over 3 months ago, the comment thread is now closed.

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Uwe Paschen
First Flagged at 7:42 PM, Sep 10, 2008 by Uwe Paschen

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