Kyrgyzstan seeks urgent aid after flooding, mudflows: UN

Kyrgyzstan's Government has requested urgent aid including blankets, bedding, tents, diesel, fuel, medicine and food to meet its immediate needs after flooding and mudflows destroyed houses, bridges and highways, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

So far, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has delivered assistance to the Central Asian country.

As a consequence of accumulated damages caused by natural disasters in 2005, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resource and Processing Industry foresees a shortage of approximately 9,800 tons of wheat, OCHA reported.

In total, there is so far a shortfall of 268,500 tons of grains for 2005, taking into account the lack of grains as a result of last winter and previous disaster damage.