South Sudan's Aweil region swamped by floods

Rivers near Aweil have broken their banks because of the heavy rain

Some 57,000 people have been forced from their homes because of dramatic floods in south-western Sudan over the past month, health officials say.

Heavy rains have left Aweil, the main town of Northern Bahr al-Ghazal province, largely under water.
A BBC correspondent says the floods pose another challenge to the already delayed voter registration.
Southern Sudan is voting on whether to secede from the north in a referendum in January.
Challenge The BBC's Peter Martell in Southern Sudan says the floods add to the woes of a grossly under-developed region still struggling to rebuild itself after the brutal two-decade war with the north.

"The rains are going to continue up until October, so the situation may get worse," Southern Sudan's Health Minister Luka Monoja warned.
"A serious situation has developed in Aweil - more than three quarters of the town is flooded and so many houses collapsed.
"We saw that all the people were chased out of their houses, and were now living on the road, because the road is the only area in the town that is raised."
Our reporter says the southern government and aid agencies have been working to support those displaced, but the challenge is enormous.
The United Nations has already provided some kind of food assistance to almost half the population of the south this year, he says.link

Typhoon Kompasu hits South Korea capital Seoul

Trees and power lines have been felled, causing transport chaos

Typhoon Kompasu has struck the South Korean capital, downing power lines and causing transport chaos.

At least three people were killed and dozens more injured in the storm - the strongest to hit Seoul in 15 years.
More than 120 flights were cancelled and power cuts hit major parts of the subway network.
Further south, Tropical Storm Lionrock made landfall in the Chinese province of Fujian, bringing strong winds and torrential rain.
Forecasters warned that the storm could trigger landslides, Xinhua news agency said.
In Yunnan province, in the south of the country, rescue work continued after Wednesday's rain triggered a landslide in Wama village.
Four people are known to have died and 44 are missing in the wake of the incident.
Twenty-three people have been rescued in the village, which lies between steep mountains and the Nujiang River.
Trees down Typhoon Kompasu made landfall in South Korea early on Thursday at Ganghwa Island, before passing to the north-east of Seoul.
One man was killed after being hit by a flying roof tile and another died after a tree branch fell and hit him.
A man in his 70s was electrocuted, the National Emergency Management Agency said.
Utility poles and trees were knocked down in the capital and hospitals were full of people injured after being hit by flying glass, Yonhap news agency said.
The typhoon is now heading north towards the Sea of Japan (East Sea), meteorologists say.
On Wednesday state media in North Korea broadcast a typhoon warning, telling people to prepare for heavy rain.
North Korea has already been hit hard by floods during 2010.link

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