Flooding hits East Timor, hundreds of houses damaged

March 24, 2004 12:19am AP Online

DILI, East Timor_Heavy rain and wind triggered flooding across central East Timor, damaging more than a hundred houses, cutting road links and killing scores of farm animals, officials said Wednesday.

There were no reports of casualties, said Manuel Pereira, a deputy district administrator in Ainaro, one of the worst-hit areas.

Several roads leading to towns in central East Timor were impassable and at least one bridge had been swept away as a result of the flooding that hit Tuesday, he said.

Rising waters damaged at least 100 homes and killed up to 1,000 animals, he said. Heavy seasonal rain has fallen over large parts of East Timor in recent weeks.

Nearly 150 people died in floods in East and West Timor in May 2000, which forced 20,000 people to evacuate their homes.

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