Death toll from Malawi floods rises to 25

Flash floods killed at least 25 people in the poverty-stricken nation of Malawi, police said Saturday.

On Friday, government officials had placed the death toll at 23, while they said least 29 others had sustained injuries.

An estimated 110,000 people have been affected by the flooding, which started on Sunday and is mainly affecting the southern part of Malawi, according to the department of disaster management.

President Peter Mutharika on Saturday declared a state of disaster in the region and directed the army to assist those trapped and displaced by the floods.

Heavy rains combined with strong winds destroyed numerous homes, roads, bridges and infrastructure, with Malawi's south hit the hardest, the national roads authority said.

Crops and livestock have been washed away, officials said.

In 2013, more than 200 people were killed by flooding in Malawi.