UN says flooding kills 7 people in Sudan’s Darfur region

Flash floods triggered by seasonal torrential rains in Sudan’s western Darfur region killed at least seven people, including children, the U.N. and an aid group said Sunday.

Heavy rains started late Friday in the Kass locality in South Darfur province, according to the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur.

The group said the dead included a pregnant woman and two boys ages 2 and 8. It said at least 100 houses in camps for displaced people collapsed or were partly damaged.

Toby Harward, a coordinator with the U.N. refugee agency, reported the deaths. He posted footage on Twitter showing flooded areas and homes. He said the UNHCR and its partners were working to provide humanitarian aid to affected communities.

According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 6,250 people have been affected by heavy rains and flooding the provinces of South Kordofan, White Nile and Kassala since the beginning of the rainy season in June.

Sudan’s rainy season usually lasts to September. Last year, flooding and heavy rains killed more than 80 people and inundated tens of thousands of houses across the country.