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| Sewage flood leaves dead in Gaza | Sewage flood leaves dead in Gaza |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A cesspit has collapsed in the Gaza Strip, flooding a village with sewage and leaving at least four people dead, Palestinian officials said. | |
| The earth wall gave way in the village of Umm al-Naser in the northern Gaza Strip, submerging at least 25 houses. | The earth wall gave way in the village of Umm al-Naser in the northern Gaza Strip, submerging at least 25 houses. |
| About 25 people are reported hurt but scores more are unaccounted for. The village has a population of 3,000. | About 25 people are reported hurt but scores more are unaccounted for. The village has a population of 3,000. |
| Residents said the flood was like a "tsunami" and Interior Minister Hani al-Qawasmeh has rushed to the scene. | Residents said the flood was like a "tsunami" and Interior Minister Hani al-Qawasmeh has rushed to the scene. |
| The BBC's Katya Adler, in Jerusalem, said angry residents crowded around Mr Qawasmeh when he came to inspect the damage. | |
| Reports say shots were fired, forcing the minister and his entourage to flee the village, although it is unclear where the gunfire came from. | |
| Investigation | Investigation |
| Health ministry officials said the dead included a four-year-old boy and a 70-year-old woman. | Health ministry officials said the dead included a four-year-old boy and a 70-year-old woman. |
| Militants from the Hamas group and rescuers were helping to find those thought buried in the sewage. | Militants from the Hamas group and rescuers were helping to find those thought buried in the sewage. |
| Village council head Ziad Abu Farya told the Associated Press news agency the scene was "our tsunami". | Village council head Ziad Abu Farya told the Associated Press news agency the scene was "our tsunami". |
| One villager, Amina Afif, said: "We lost everything, everything was covered by the flood. It's a disaster." | One villager, Amina Afif, said: "We lost everything, everything was covered by the flood. It's a disaster." |
| The cause of the collapse is still unknown and officials from the Palestinian Water Authority are at the scene investigating. | The cause of the collapse is still unknown and officials from the Palestinian Water Authority are at the scene investigating. |
| Authority head Fadel Kawash told AP several sewage projects, including one in the village, had been halted after international funding dried up in the wake of the election victory of Hamas in January last year. | Authority head Fadel Kawash told AP several sewage projects, including one in the village, had been halted after international funding dried up in the wake of the election victory of Hamas in January last year. |
| "We had a project to treat sewage in north Gaza, it was worked on for two years," he said. | "We had a project to treat sewage in north Gaza, it was worked on for two years," he said. |
| "We built a pressure pipeline and pumping station but it was stopped after... troubles began." |