58 dead after Yemen floods
According to CNN, rain and flooding in Yemen has left 58 dead and 20,000 without shelter, reported a local newspaper Saturday.
One of the worst-affected provinces is Hadramout, where most of the dead were, said Yemen Post Editor-in-Chief Hakim al-Masmari, citing the Ministry ofn the Interior.
The newspaper said that officials continued to evacuate people from the affected areas, but thousands remained stranded in homes because the extensive rain prevented officials from reaching them.
The flooding follows several days of rain in a country which is unaccustomed to more than a few inches of rain a year.
The rain began Thursday as a tropical cyclone moved over the area, said forecaster Martyn Jeanes, continuing into the weekend. The cyclone also brought rain to parts of Saudi Arabia and northern Somalia.
However, Jeanes says that conditions shoud be "much improved" by Sunday.
According to the newspaper, thousands of families have fled Hadramout. Somes evacuees are being taken to schools, but they can only accommodate about 10 percent of the people.
More than 730 houses have been destroyed, according to SABA, the Yememni news agency. SABA alos reported that Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered the formation of an emergency committee for delivery of aid to those affected by the heavy rain.