Humanitarian agencies step up relief efforts to flood-hit Somalia

MOGADISHU, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Somali authorities and humanitarian agencies have urgently ramped up response activities to mitigate the devastation caused by heavy rains, flash and riverine floods, reaching at least 743,000 people across Somalia with various forms of aid, the United Nations said on Friday.

Vast swathes of farmland have been engulfed, properties destroyed and infrastructure damaged, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), adding that aid agencies are mobilizing boats to evacuate families trapped by the flooding.