At least 14 people are reported to have died as a result of flooding in Angola's Benguela province.

Another 5000 have abandoned their homes and, according to local reports, have lost all of their belongings.

More than 5,000 hectares of land were submerged under water when the Coporola river burst its banks earlier this week, forcing at least 8,000 agricultural workers to stop work.

Senior government officials who travelled to Benguela on Wednesday have predicted that the next three months could see the situation continue or even worsen until the annual rainy season ends.

The local government has declared the area an emergency zone, and provided locals with metal roofing materials to try and help those affected by the floods.

However a huge loss in crop yields could give way to an even greater crisis.

Already one local farmer is reported to have lost a crop of over 12,000 tonnes of maize.

Further people could still bedisplaced by the floods.

The affected area, known as the lower Coporola region, is estimated to be home to at least 14,000 Angolans. The vast majority of these rely on the land to survive.