06/09/2011 13:07
750,000 people at risk of death in Somalia as famine spreads
As many as 750,000 people could die as Somalia's drought worsens in the coming months, the UN has warned, declaring a famine in a new area, according to BBC.
The UN says tens of thousands of people have died after what is said to be East Africa's worst drought for 60 years.
Some 12 million people across the region need food aid, the UN says.
The situation in the Bay region was worse than anything previously recorded, said senior UN's technical adviser Grainne Moloney.
"In total, 4 million people are in crisis in Somalia, with 750,000 people at risk of death in the coming four months in the absence of adequate response," the UN's Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) says.