Dili – At least one person is dead and about 600 people are homeless after torrential rain lashed parts of East Timor at the weekend, the United Nations Dili mission announced Wednesday.

The heavy rain, unusual for June, hit three districts south and southeast of Dili, destroying homes, crops, roads and left large numbers of cattle dead.

A UN official is among two people listed as missing. The UN's No. 2 Timor representative, Sukehiro Hasegawa, is holding emergency talks Wednesday with senior Dili ministers and foreign aid and relief officials to coordinate response measures.