At least two children died and hundreds of refugees had to flee makeshift homes due to floods after heavy rains in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, officials said on Tuesday, adding they feared the death toll would rise, Reuters reported. Sheikh Ahmad Abdullahi, an administrator for social affairs for the Islamists who control Mogadishu and other regions, said rescuers were struggling to reach those stranded by flood water. At least 500 families were displaced by heavy overnight rains, he said. "So many houses have been destroyed," Abdullahi, who toured some of the affected areas, told Reuters. "We were told two children died. Up to now the families have not been assisted, we are still going round to find out how many people are affected." Residents said the two children died when a wall collapsed on their shack while a pregnant woman and several other people sustained light injuries. Residents said children and the elderly were worst affected. "The roads are impassable, so many houses have been submerged by water. It is really serious," said Ibrahim Maalim, who helped rescue a family of four who were drowning in Wardigley district. Halimo Hussein, standing with her five children outside their washed-away hut made from sticks and covered by polythene bags, said they were asleep when suddenly they saw their hut collapsing on them. "Our shack has been washed away," the 36 year-old mother told Reuters outside her waterlogged former camp near Mogadishu stadium. "We have no food and have nowhere to sleep tonight, we need help from our brothers and the aid agencies." According the United Nations, Mogadishu is home to nearly 250,000 displaced people. Floods have wreaked havoc in the Horn of Africa, bringing misery and death in parts of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan, as well as Somalia.
