Sierra Leone entered a week-long mourning period for the victims of flooding that killed more than 300 people, with fears rising for at least 600 missing people. Three days of torrential rain triggered mudslides on Monday in the Regent area of the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, and massive flooding elsewhere in the city, one of the world’s wettest urban areas. The exact death toll was unclear. Rescue workers recovered almost 400 bodies, Reuters reported, citing Freetown’s chief coroner. A Red Cross official told the AFP news agency that the death toll was around 300 people on Tuesday evening. Al Jazeera reported that the United Nations said on Tuesday it was evaluating the humanitarian needs in the West African country of seven million people. “Contingency plans are being put in place to mitigate any potential outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
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