Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ? Flooding from 11 days of heavy rain has killed at least 626 people across Ethiopia, and authorities Wednesday braced for a rising death toll as overwhelmed rescuers struggled to locate missing villagers.

Rivers in southern, northern and eastern Ethiopia burst their banks but forecasters predicted even more rain.

The death toll in southern Ethiopia was at 364, and police there said it could reach 1,000 while another 256 were killed in the east and six in the north.

At least 300 people are missing in the eastern part of the country.