At least six more people, including three siblings, have drowned in floodwaters along the Jonglei Canal in Ayod County of Jonglei State since October 1st, bringing the death toll to 10.
Late last month, four people, including a woman with a child strapped on her back, were on Saturday found floating along the Jonglei Canal in Ayod.
“Three siblings aged between 1 and 12 drowned along the Canal Thursday as their mother tried crossing them to Pigi County. Their father is called Wuor Hoth Machar. In the Mogog area, Tagig Jal, 27, also drowned as he tried to cross the Canal. The other cases are of two men we found coming floating northwards along the Canal,” Albino Gatkek, the County Executive Director told Radio Tamazuj.
He pointed out that the county is seeing the painful die-offs because they are unable to rescue civilians stranded in floodwaters in Ayod West.
“As the county government, we tried to control the floodwaters but we are overstretched. So, civilians are left to help themselves. As we speak, families left in the areas to the west of the Canal stay on the roofs of collapsed buildings,” he lamented.
The county official appealed for urgent help.
For his part, Gabriel Tot, the County Relief and Rehabilitation Commission coordinator, urged government and aid agencies to rescue those stranded and provide food to the displaced in Ayod town, Wau, Kwacdeng, and Mogog areas.