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A Yemeni cholera-infected child receives medical treatment in hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 13, 2019. Torrential rains and flooding have affected thousands of people in Yemen and may escalate the spread of cholera, the United Nations warned on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rains and flooding have affected thousands of people in Yemen and may escalate the spread of cholera, the United Nations warned on Wednesday.

Nearly 70,000 people across the country, including internally displaced people, have been affected by torrential rains and flash flooding in recent weeks, culminating in widespread flooding in the second week of June, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

There are concerns that flash flooding could escalate the spread of cholera across the country, which is already experiencing a rise in cholera cases, he told a press briefing.

Some 364,000 suspected cholera cases have been reported since the beginning of this year, he noted.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners are conducting assessments and scaling up humanitarian response, despite access constraints in many of the affected areas. Preliminary information indicates that critical immediate needs are shelters, food, nonfood items and cash assistance, he said.