KHARTOUM, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains and flooding in Sudan have claimed 173 lives and injured 505 people since the beginning of the rainy season in June, the Sudanese Health Ministry reported.
The floods have impacted 11 of Sudan's 18 states, destroying 18,665 homes and damaging 14,947 others, according to the ministry. The report, released on Saturday, also noted that over 170,000 Sudanese have been affected by the floods.
In Kassala State, flooding from the Gash River has caused significant damage to agricultural land and homes. The collapse of the Arbaat Dam near Port Sudan on August 25 further exacerbated the crisis, resulting in at least 60 deaths and significant damage to infrastructure.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Thursday that it has begun distributing food aid in Sudan's Darfur region. Trucks carrying 1,134 tonnes of food, sufficient for approximately 280,000 people, crossed from Chad into Darfur after delays due to flooding.
Sudan experiences annual flooding from June to October, but this year's rains have compounded the difficulties faced by a country already grappling with a protracted conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. ■