UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 170,000 people in the Republic of the Congo (ROC) have been hit by heavy rains while another 140,000 have been impacted by river flooding in Ethiopia, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that at least 170,000 people have been impacted by heavy rains in the Republic of the Congo," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In Ethiopia, "the United Nations and our partners are supporting the government response, sending nearly 2,600 tons of food and supplies for thousands of households," the spokesman said. "Some 140,000 people have been affected by flooding."

Haq said the 170,000 figure for the ROC includes about 30,000 refugees from the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The United Nations is supporting the ROC government's efforts and has sent food, hygiene kits and other urgently-needed supplies by boat to the hardest-hit area, the spokesman said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said the ROC flooding caused by the overflow of the Oubangui and Congo rivers has damaged infrastructure and impeded access to food, water, education and health care. The region has been hit by heavy rains since October. Enditem

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