Eight children among 15 people confirmed dead

Updated

Eight children are among 21 people confirmed dead in flash flooding in Solomon Islands, with as many as 52,000 people affected by the disaster.

The National Disaster Council says in a statement that six boy and two girls under the age of seven were killed in the floods. Six women and one man are also confirmed dead. Other agencies, including Oxfam, are reporting at least 18 dead.

The council says 40,000 people in Guadalcanal and 12,000 people in the capital Honiara are estimated to have been affected by the disaster. The city and the whole of Guadalcanal province were declared a disaster area on Friday.

Many residents remain without running water, as disaster management officials struggle to look after those people sheltering in evacuation centres.

Flash flooding has swept away entire residential districts and at least 30 people are missing.

Joanne Zoleveke from Solomon Islands' Red Cross says the organisation's volunteers have reported extensive damage especially in the eastern parts of Guadalcanal. They were expected to send assessment teams into the area early Sunday.

Ms Zoleveke says her focus remains in Honiara and the people in the 16 evacuation centres.

"We really need to get on top of helping these people live comfortably and hygienically, and (ensure they) are being fed and looked after well. That's our greatest concern now here in Honiara," she said.

She says the extent of the flooding has been a big shock for many Solomon Islanders.

"We really didn't expect it to be this damaging and I think the people in the evacuation centres especially are obviously traumatised by all this. So, it's affecting everybody... and everybody seems to be concerned for those who are having a hard time at the moment," she said.

Major infrastructure including the sewerage system and water supplies have been badly damaged or destroyed. Electricity and communications have also been severely affected. The Mataniko bridge - the major bridge connecting east and west Honiara - was declared unsafe for use on Friday. The Old China Town bridge completely collapsed on Thursday.

Flights remain suspended at Honiara's Henderson International Airport due to debris on the runway and damage to navigation and lighting systems.

Aid workers fear outbreaks of disease in the city and are waiting for Honiara airport to reopen so emergency relief supplies can be flown in.

The National Disaster Management Office says its focus is on distributing food and water to people sheltering in evacuation centres.

Further Australian aid

The Australian government has announced it will provide $AU250,000 in emergency relief supplies to the flood-hit country, in response to a request for assistance from the Solomon Islands government.

Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, says she has conveyed Australia's condolences to Solomons' Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo for the loss of life.

She says the funding builds on the $50,000 in emergency assistance announced on Friday.

In addition, Australia will provide engineers and two Australian Government Rapid Response Team members to assist the Solomon Islands' government and aid agencies responding to the floods.

Ms Bishop's told ABC Insiders Mr Lilo wants supplies rather than cash, and also asked for teams of relief workers.

"We have got two RAAF flights leaving full of equipment. One will be taking engineering equipment to set up their airport, which has been devastated, so we've got lights and equipment and engineers. And then another will be filled with humanitarian supplies and relief workers," she said.

A team of 11 Australian Defence Force personnel and a specialist advisor from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) departed from Queensland on Sunday to conduct an initial assessment of the disaster to scope what assistance will be required.

DFAT has updated its travel advice for the Solomons warning of road closures and delays at Honiara's Henderson International Airport.

Tropical Cyclone Ita

The low pressure system that caused the deadly flooding in Solomon Islands has formed into Tropical Cyclone Ita over the northern Coral Sea.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service has issued a tropical cyclone watch advice for Rennell and Bellona, Western, Russells and Guadalcanal provinces.

Winds of between 30 and 40 kilometres an hour, increasing to 55 kilometres an hour are expected over Rennell and Bellona, southern Guadalcanal, Russells and Western and Choiseul provinces. Seas will be moderate to rough, with potential for coastal flooding.

The Australian bureau of meteorology reported that Tropical Cyclone Ita was situated 1070 kilometres east-northeast of Cairns at 10am Sunday eastern Australian time, moving in a westwards direction and intensifying.

It says the tropical cyclone is expected to remain well offshore for the next few days and poses no immediate threat to the Queensland coast.

ABC

Topics: floods, disasters-and-accidents, solomon-islands, pacific

First posted