Sudan Floods Kill Over 80 People

Floods in Sudan. Reuters file photo
Floods in Sudan. Reuters file photo
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Sudan Floods Kill Over 80 People

Floods in Sudan. Reuters file photo
Floods in Sudan. Reuters file photo

Floods following heavy rain in Sudan have killed more than 80 people and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, an official said Monday.

"A total of 84 people were killed and 67 others injured in 11 states across Sudan since the beginning of the rainy season," said Abdel Jalil Abdelreheem, spokesman for Sudan's National Council for Civil Defense.

The deaths were drowning, electrocution and house collapses, he added. Some 8,408 houses have also been destroyed and more than 27,200 damaged across Sudan, AFP reported.

Torrential rains usually fall in Sudan between June and October, and the country faces severe flooding every year, wrecking properties, infrastructure, and crops.

The United Nations estimates that heavy rains and floods have affected some 102,000 people since July.

Nearly 50 villages have been submerged in southern Sudan, displacing some 65,000 people including South Sudanese refugees whose camp was inundated, the UN said in a report last week.

Last year, heavy rains forced Sudan to declare a three-month state of emergency, after flooding affected at least 650,000 people, damaging or destroying more than 110,000 homes.



8 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Gas Exposure During Cave Search in Northern Iraq

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
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8 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Gas Exposure During Cave Search in Northern Iraq

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

Eight Turkish soldiers died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in a cave in northern Iraq, the defense ministry said on Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said the incident took place on Sunday during a mission to locate the remains of a Turkish soldier killed during a military operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Eleven other soldiers who are also exposed to the gas in the cave have been taken to the hospital for treatment, the ministry said.

The cave was at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 foot) and was known to have been used as a hospital by the PKK in the past, although it had since been cleared by Turkish soldiers.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict which has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.