More than 35,000 homes destroyed after 17 out of 18 states affected by the flash floods.

The death toll from major flooding in parts of Sudan has risen to 62, the Sudanese government said.

According to the Ministry of Federal Health, 98 people have been injured and thousands have been displaced so far by the flooding, which has affected several hundred villages.

In total, 17 out of 18 states have been affected, destroying more than 35,000 homes, state news agency SUNA said.

The flash floods were caused by heavy rainfall and have had the worst effect on regions along the Nile river.

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Most of the damage is in poor neighbourhoods, where basic services such as electricity and clean water have been hit.

“Flash floods have not only destroyed homes, they have also turned roads into rivers,” Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from the capital Khartoum, said.

“Because it can take days, sometimes weeks, before they can dry out, there is a fear the floods will bring diseases.”

On Friday, the United Nations released a statement saying up to 200,000 people were affected by the flash floods, adding more rainfall is forecast.

“The affected people are in need of emergency shelter, food, health services, clean water and sanitation. There’s also an urgent need for vector control to limit the spread of waterborne diseases by insects, and drainage of stagnant water,” UN OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said in a statement last Friday.

Affected residents have accused the former government, overthrown in April, of neglect [Amel Pain/EPA]

Over the last couple of years, health workers have noted an increased number of malaria and cholera as a result of the pooling of stagnant water during the rainy season.

Affected residents have accused the former government, overthrown in April, of neglect and opposition leaders are now calling for action, such as building dams to prevent any future floods.

This year’s rainy season will last until the end of October, which means the government will need to act quickly to prevent more deaths.

The UN has said Sudan will need at least $1.1bn of monetary aid this year, but only 30 percent of that number has so far been pledged.