Kenyan police give details of flooding

An important bridge which links countries in eastern central Africa with the Kenyan port of Mombasa has been reopened to traffic after suffering severe damage in torrential rains.

A BBC correspondent who visited the scene says the route is only passable with extreme care as half the road has been swept away.

The closure of the bridge has held up travellers for the last three days.

Kenya's chief roads engineer called for financial aid to rebuild the road network.

Police say ninety people have been killed in recent days in the floods in Kenya's Eastern and North Eastern provinces.

In the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, also seriously affected by torrential rains, where the local radio issued appeals for international emergency aid.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service