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Torrential rains and flooding since June have affected 600,000 people in 16 West African nations, the United Nations reported Tuesday.

The worst hit have been Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana and Niger, said Yvon Edoumou, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. So far, 159 people have died, he said. Sierra Leone has also been hard hit, according to the U.N.

Edoumou said removing water from flooded areas is a top priority, but powerful pumps are in short supply. Read full article »

All About FloodsUnited NationsBurkina FasoNatural Disasters

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