Beaches along East Africa were buffeted by huge waves
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Most buildings on the Somali island of Hafun were swept away by the
deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, an emergency aid relief team has revealed.
Roads washed away by the sea are hampering the
delivery of food aid to some 4,500 islanders affected.
Waves which swept 7,000km (4,000 miles) from the
epicentre left a trail of smashed buildings and boats along the East
African coast.
More than 130 people in East Africa are known to have
died in the floods.
Cholera fear
"Almost 95% of Hafun's buildings have been
destroyed," the UN World Food Programme's Ali Issay - part of the
first relief team to reach victims of the tsunami - told the BBC's Focus
on Africa programme.
Dazed inhabitants have moved to higher ground and are
wandering about asking for help, as there is no food and no fresh water
on the island, he said.
"We have nothing," destitute people told him.
Hafun's governor asked for emergency assistance and
told aid agencies that he feared up to 8,000 people across the island
could be affected by the flooding.
Twelve Hafun residents have been confirmed dead and
many more are missing. Bodies can still be seen floating in the sea, the
governor told Mr Issay.
More than 30 tons of food aid is expected to arrive on
Wednesday on the island off the north coast of Somalia by a bridge
accessible during low tide, the WFP says.
Meanwhile, the UN is planning an aerial assessment of
Somalia's coastline on Thursday, where thousands of other people are
reported to have lost their homes.
Speaking on Kenyan television on Tuesday night, Somali
Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi said he feared the disaster would
cause an outbreak of cholera.
He and other members of the government - which is
currently based in neighbouring Kenya as Mogadishu is considered too
dangerous for ministers - are due to visit the most affected regions of
northern Somalia on Saturday.
Bridge damaged
Countries along the East African coast are still
trying to assess the total loss of life and damage caused by the
tsunami.
Ten people drowned in Tanzania and more than 1,000
people have been made homeless in Madagascar.
Three people died in the Seychelles, where a bridge
linking the main airport and capital, Victoria, was destroyed while a
village in northern Mauritius was submerged for almost three hours
following the surges.
In Kenya, beaches that were closed on Sunday reopened,
amid government warnings to tourists to take precautions.
About 15 fishing boats were damaged in the French
territory of Reunion.
The British government warned its citizens in
Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Kenya and Tanzania to be alert
for potential danger from the sea surges. |
