Storm, floods kill at least 7 in Mauritania

At least seven people were killed and 19 were injured in severe storms and flooding that hit Mauritania at the weekend, state radio reported today.

Flooding is a seasonal hazard during the annual rainy season, which has just begun in the largely arid West African country stretching from the Atlantic seaboard into the Sahara.

The deaths occurred when high winds and flooding buffeted the town of Boutilimit, 150 km (90 miles) inland from the coastal capital Nouakchott.

Buildings were damaged in the town and surrounding villages, the official Mauritanian Press Agency said.

The government has set up a crisis committee to arrange shelter for families left homeless by the storm, it added.