/ 2 January 2008

Floods displace hundreds in Zimbabwe

At least 700 villagers have had to abandon their homes in south-eastern Zimbabwe as floods wreak havoc in many parts of the country, state radio said on Wednesday.

Helicopters have been flying relief supplies to villagers in the Chipinge and Middle Sabi areas, who left their homes after the Save River burst its banks at the weekend, reports say.

They are now sheltering on government-owned farms on higher ground.

No casualties have been reported yet in the area. At least 27 people drowned in floods in Zimbabwe during what state media said was the wettest December on record.

The authorities on Wednesday warned people not to cross flooded rivers.

Those living close to dams and lakes are also advised to monitor water levels, state radio quoted the Department of Civil Protection as saying.

In northern Zimbabwe, floods have devastated the homes of hundreds of villagers in the low-lying Zambezi Valley district of Muzarabani, sweeping away livestock and destroying crops.

Homes have also been flooded and walls demolished by heavy rains in the capital, Harare. — Sapa-dpa