ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The death toll from flash floods in eastern Ethiopia has risen to at least 190, with 39 children among the victims, an official said Monday.

A herder tries to cross a flooded area in Ethiopia with his donkey, in 2005. Flash floods have killed more than 191 people in eastern Ethiopia, sweeping away many of the victims in their sleep, after a heavy downpour caused a river to overflow, police said.[AFP]

Floods tore through the eastern town of Dire Dawa early Sunday, and as many as 10,000 people have been displaced in and around the town, said Sisay Tadesse, spokesman of the government's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency.

Heavy rains in Dire Dawa, 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the capital, Addis Ababa, swelled nearby rivers beyond their banks, Sisay said.

A team has been sent to Dire Dawa to assess the situation and report back with details, he said. Electricity and telephone outages in the town have made it difficult to get information.

"I saw dead people filling Dilchora Hospital this morning, with family members crying," resident Mimi Woigido said by telephone Sunday from Dire Dawa. Dilchora Hospital is the main medical facility in the town.

Local radio stations reported that witnesses and residents said more than 200 homes were destroyed by the floods. Radio stations also reported that area highways were cut off by the floods.

Torrential rains in April 2005 caused massive flooding in parts of eastern Ethiopia, killing more than 150 people and leaving thousands homeless. Flooding killed 32 people in Dire Dawa in May 2005.