Government says 25 killed in Ethiopia flooding

31 May, 2008

HARAR, Ethiopia - A government spokesman says 25 people have died in flash floods in eastern Ethiopia.

Spokesman Zemedkun Tekle said local government officials reported the deaths in the eastern city of Jijiga when the Wabe Shebelle River burst its banks.

Marc Rubin, an emergency coordinator in Ethiopia for UNICEF said several houses have been swept away in the floods.

Most of Ethiopia is in the grip of a drought that has caused crops to fail and left thousands of people hungry. -AP