UNITED NATIONS, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN relief chief has released 2.5 million U.S. dollars to support the response to floods affecting nearly 300,000 people in Burundi, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, who is also the Emergency Relief Coordinator, allocated the funds for the world body and its partners to provide life-saving assistance to more than 63,000 people, including water and hygiene kits, latrines, health support and cash assistance.

OCHA said that since the beginning of the year, heavy rains have caused severe flooding and landslides across Burundi, particularly near Lake Tanganyika in the country's southwest.

"Nearly 300,000 people have been affected, with more than 47,000 people displaced," OCHA said. "Thousands of homes and schools, as well as 10 percent of Burundi's food crops, have been damaged. The floods have also escalated the spread of vector-borne diseases." Enditem

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