At least eight people have been killed in floods triggered by heavy rain in Haiti, officials have said.

由暴雨所引发的洪灾使海地至少八人死亡。

The deaths occurred in or near the southeastern port city of Les Cayes which was swamped（淹没） by more than 1.5m (5ft) of water.

Officials said buildings affected¹ included a hospital and a prison where more than 400 inmates²（囚犯，室友） were evacuated⁴（疏散，撤离） .

About a million Haitians are still homeless following January's earthquake which killed up to 230,000 people.

The floods have come several weeks ahead of Haiti's traditional rainy season.

"The situation is grave... whole areas are completely flooded. People have climbed on to the roofs of their homes," local senator Francky Exius told AFP news agency.

Witnesses said some homes had collapsed⁵（倒塌，崩溃） and people were fleeing for safer areas.

At least two people are reported missing in the floods. One report puts the death toll⁶（死亡人数） at 11.

Staff at the flooded hospital in Les Cayes moved patients to the safety of higher floors, reports say, while UN peacekeepers helped police to evacuate³ the jail.

Les Cayes lies on a peninsula（半岛） 160km (100 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince.

It was unaffected by the earthquake, but its 70,000 population has been swollen⁷ by survivors⁸ fleeing from earthquake-hit areas.