Sudan on Friday said floods caused by torrential rains have killed 72 people since late July, with thousands left homeless by the storms.

Over 17,000 homes and 129 public buildings have been destroyed, Sudan's civil defence organisation calculates, according to a statement.

Heavy rains usually fall in Sudan from June to October, and the country faces severe flooding every year.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that over 263,000 people have been affected by the floods, across 17 of the country's 18 states.

Storms and floods are "causing loss of lives, damage to houses, schools, water points, and other key infrastructure," OCHA said in a statement.

West Kordofan in the country's south and Kassala state in the east are among the hardest-hit areas.