Hundreds dead in Haiti flood town

At least 300 bodies have been found so far in the southern town of Mapou, which was described as "a lake".

Rescue workers are scrambling to get chlorine tablets and first-aid kits to Mapou and other stricken towns, helped by US-led peacekeeping forces.

Across the border in the neighbouring Dominican Republic, hopes of finding survivors in Jimani are finding.

Thousands of people have been made homeless by the floods, in which about 1,000 people in both countries are so far known to have died.

A UN spokeswoman in Geneva has confirmed that two teams of disaster relief experts will set off for Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Friday.

Clock ticks

US-led multinational forces sent to Haiti to help keep order after the February overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide are contributing forces and equipment to help in the emergency operation.

Three helicopters reportedly left the capital Port-au-Prince early on Thursday carrying water, chlorine purification tablets and other supplies to Mapou and Fonds Varettes, where at least 158 people died.

"Mapou is in the middle of a valley and the village is practically under water," force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Lapan told Reuters.

"It is like a lake when you look at it from the air," he said.

With more rain threatening, there is a desperate race to recover the bodies of those who died in the flash floods.

"The bodies could contaminate the surface water if they decompose more," a Red Cross official told Associated Press.

Heavy deforestation by people using trees for fuel greatly aggravated the impact of the rains on the hilly island of Hispaniola, which is split between the two countries.

As well as whole villages, roads have been washed out, making many towns impossible to reach except from the air.

Even in the best conditions, Mapou could take three or four hours to reach from Jacmel, the nearest city, a relief worker told Reuters.

Rivers of mud

Across the border in the Dominican town of Jimani, rescuers continued to dig through rivers of mud, reported AFP.

The town - now a muddy scar in the landscape, after the flood waters drove through - was the worst-hit in the Dominican Republic.

At least 329 bodies have been found there, and at least 300 people are missing.

Hopes of finding anyone alive on the fourth day after the floods were slight and the priority was shifting to burying the dead.

The United States ambassador here, Hans Hatler, flew over the area and toured the streets of the town.

He said the situation was "grim" and announced $50,000 in aid, saying more would be delivered as soon as possible.

The President of the Dominican Republic, Hipolito Mejia, declared the town a disaster area and decreed a day of mourning on Thursday.

Nearly 700 Red Cross volunteers were reportedly in the town and nearby hospitals, helping the injured and putting up mosquito nets to protect against outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever.

Aid effort

The World Food Programme has also sent workers to assist in the aid effort in towns across the island.

They will be joined at the end of the week by two special teams of disaster relief experts, said a UN spokeswoman in Geneva.

She said the situation required people specially trained for this particular type of catastrophe.

The plan is that they will co-ordinate the humanitarian relief operation until the situation becomes more stable.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3755643.stm