Storms that lashed Angola in recent weeks killed at least 114 people, according to a government report cited by state media on Wednesday.
Ten people are still missing and more than 28 000 were left homeless by the torrential rain that caused flash floods and mudslides, according to a report presented to Parliament on Tuesday by Social Assistance Minister Joao Baptista Kussumua, daily paper Jornal de Angola reported.
The government said the storms destroyed more than 10 000 homes in 12 of the country’s 18 provinces. The torrential rain also knocked out 38 bridges and washed away numerous rural roads, the paper reported.
Officials were not immediately available for comment.
Local health authorities say the rain has left large areas of Luanda, the overpopulated capital, under water, worsening a cholera epidemic that broke out a year ago.
Officials report that more than 100 new cholera cases are being reported each day, up from about 10 news cases a day in early January. About four million people live in Luanda, many of them in slums.
The epidemic has killed more than 2 700 people nationwide over the past 12 months.
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and inadequate sanitation. — Sapa-AP