750,000 may die as Somalia famine worsens

The UN has warned that up to 750,000 people could die as Somalia's drought worsens in the coming months.

Declaring a famine in a new area of the country, the UN said tens of thousands of people have died in what is said to be East Africa's worst drought for 60 years.

Bay becomes the sixth area to be officially declared a famine zone. Most are in parts of southern Somalia controlled by the Islamist group al-Shabab.

Some 12 million people across the region need food aid, the UN said. It put the number in crisis at four million, with 750,000 people at risk of death in the coming four months.

Neighbouring Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have also been hit by the drought. But 20 years of fighting and the lack of a national government mean that Somalia is the worst affected.