MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - At least 159 people have died and some 600,000 have been affected by heavy rains and floods in West Africa since June, a United Nations humanitarian agency said.

The worst-affected states include Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Niger and Sierra Leone, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

In Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, the central hospital, as well as schools, bridges and roads, have been damaged by the deluge, the worst to hit the country in 90 years.

CNN quoted OCNA spokesman Yvon Edoumou as saying the main task now is to pump water out of the submerged regions, but that the problem is being complicated by a lack of powerful pumps.

Edoumou also said many people in the affected areas have refused to leave their flooded houses, and that there is a risk of disease outbreaks.

West Africa's rainy season usually starts in June and lasts until late September. In 2007, floods claimed some 300 lives and affected over 800,000 people.