At least 9 killed in torrential Togo floods

LOME, Togo (AP) - At least nine people have been killed as torrential floods have submerged entire villages in Togo, the country's Minister for Transport and Highways said Saturday in a televised address.

Nine major bridges have been wiped out, stranding villagers in flooded hamlets, Ekpao Talaki said. As many as 5,000 people have been rendered homeless, according to the government's web site, but aid workers say the number could be much higher.

Ghana, Togo's neighbor, sent in helicopters to rescue villagers trapped in their flooded homes. France sent a disaster crew Friday from its peacekeeping mission in nearby Ivory Coast.

But Togo's main opposition party criticized the government for not doing enough and called for an emergency session of Parliament to address the disaster.

President Faure Gnassingbe is holding an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday - the third this week - to come up with ways to combat the floods. The flooding, which shows no sign of abating, was brought on by heavy monsoon rains.