JAKARTA, November 21 (RIA Novosti) - Floods in Papua New Guinea have killed 153 people, and dozens more have been declared missing, regional media said on Wednesday.
The death toll in the South Pacific nation is expected to rise due to food and drinking water shortages after a week of torrential rains caused by a tropical cyclone.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the worst-affected eastern provinces, where hundreds of homes have been flooded, and roads and bridges damaged. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
About 80% of Papua New Guinea's people live in rural areas, and many are dependent on subsistence agriculture.
