Storms kill at least 114 in Angola

Storms that lashed Angola in recent weeks led to the deaths of at least 114 people, according to a government report cited by state media Wednesday.

Ten people were 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 causes of death were not 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.

The storms began in mid-January and abated only at the start of last week. The government's account said the peak was on Jan. 22, when 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain fell on Luanda in 24 hours, according to Jornal de Angola. That was the highest amount in a single day in 30 years, the government said.

Officials could not immediately be reached for comment, the AP said.

Local health authorities said the rain has left large areas of Luanda, the overpopulated capital, under water, worsening a cholera epidemic that broke out a year ago.

Officials reported that more than 100 new cholera cases were being reported each day, up from about 10 new cases a day in early January. About 4 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.

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