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31 October 2006
At least 67 people have been killed by floods in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region, aid workers say.
Almost 300,000 have been affected after the Shabelle river burst its banks, an aid worker told the BBC.
There are also unconfirmed reports that crocodiles have killed two people in the floods. Accurate information is hard to get from the remote area.
The area was also hit by devastating floods earlier this year, which killed hundreds and left thousands homeless.
The BBC's Amber Henshaw in Ethiopia says some people had only just returned home when they were forced to flee again following torrential rain.
"Sixty-seven people have died since the worst flooding hit Friday, and the crocodiles in the area are eating some of the bodies," Muktar Mohammed, flood coordinator for the government-run Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau, told the AP news agency.
Government spokesman Sisay Tadesse said measures were being taken to avoid a wider catastrophe in the Gode area about 650 km south-east of the capital, Addis Ababa.
Almost 20,000 metric tones of food aid have been sent to the remote region and more will soon be on its way.
The spokesman said they were also sending plastic sheeting, jerry cans and cooking equipment.
BBC NEWS