KARTOUM, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese officials on Wednesday called for immediate assistance after heavy rains and floods inundated several villages in central Sudan's Gezira State.
Al-Tahir Hajar, who led a delegation of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council to inspect the floods-hit Al-Managil locality, stressed the urgent need to provide housing, food and medical supplies for local residents as the situation in Gezira State was "catastrophic" and had exceeded the disaster relief capacity of the state, the council said in a statement.
Some 2,000 families have been affected by the rains and floods in the villages, acting governor of Gezira State Ismail Al-Agib, who accompanied the delegation to the area, was quoted as saying by the statement.
Sudan was hit by heavy rains and floods recently. On Tuesday, Sudan's National Council for Civil Defense said that the death toll from the recent heavy rains and floods across the country had reached 75.
In addition, 12,551 homes were destroyed and 20,751 others damaged during the rain, the council said in a statement.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a report on Sunday saying about 38,000 people across Sudan had been affected by rains and floods since the start of the rainy season.
Sudan often witnesses floods caused by heavy rains from June to October. ■