/ 30 June 2000

SIXTY KILLED BY ETHIOPIAN FLOODS

SIXTY people were killed when their bus was swept away in floods caused by torrential rains. Police said the bus, travelling from the capital to Harar in the east, was caught in floodwaters near Wollenchiti, 125 km south of Addis Ababa. The bus was carrying 66 people. The bodies of 60, including three children and 21 women, were found after an eight-hour search by helicopters and troops. Six injured people were taken to Haile-Mariam hospital in the town of Nazereth, police said. Every year, heavy rains in Ethiopia damage agriculture, homes, and roads and prompt the displacement of tens of thousands of people.