Heavy rains kill 7 people in Sudan's Darfur region
A woman carries a bucket on her head as she wades through floodwaters in the village of Wang Chot, Old Fangak county, Jonglei state, South Sudan, Nov. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Maura Ajak, File)


At least seven people, including children, were killed in flash floods in Sudan's western Dafur region, the United Nations and an aid group confirmed Sunday. The flash floods were triggered by heavy rains, which 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 aged 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.