Sudan: 173 killed by floods, 71 cholera deaths

Sudan – The Sudanese Ministry of Health announced yesterday, Thursday, that the death toll from floods has risen to 173 since the beginning of the rainy season last June, while deaths from cholera have risen to 71.

The ministry said in a statement that 5 states were affected by rain and floods on Wednesday evening: Al-Qadarif and the Red Sea (east), the Northern (north), and South and West Kordofan (south), bringing the number of affected states to 11 out of 18 states.

The statement added: “38,000 families and more than 170,000 people were affected, and the number of injuries due to rains and floods rose to 505, and deaths to 173.”

He stated that “the number of completely collapsed homes reached 18,665, and the number of partially collapsed homes reached 14,947.”

Earlier on Thursday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that 64 people were missing after the collapse of the Arbaat Dam in eastern Sudan a few days ago, which resulted in the death of at least 30 people, according to local authorities.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health announced, in the same statement, that the death toll from the cholera epidemic had risen from 56 to 71.

She pointed out that 191 new cases of cholera were recorded, including 123 in Kassala State (east), 37 in Gedaref State (east), and 31 in River Nile State (north).

She added: “The number of cholera infections has risen to 1,696, including 71 deaths.”

On Wednesday, the number of infections rose to 1,351, while the death toll increased to 56, according to the previous tally from the Ministry of Health.

On August 12, the Sudanese authorities declared cholera an epidemic in the country.

This year’s natural and health disasters coincide with the continued suffering resulting from an ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023, which has left about 18,800 dead and nearly 10 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.

There are increasing international and UN calls to spare Sudan a humanitarian disaster that has begun to push millions to famine and death due to food shortages, due to the fighting that has spread to 13 states.

Anatolia