LUANDA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Two children died and 415 people were left homeless after floods caused by heavy rain swept through Angola's capital Luanda at the weekend, a civil protection service official was quoted as saying on Monday.

Eugenio Laborinho told state-owned news agency Angop that the two children who died on Saturday in the floods had probably drowned. Authorities across the country remained on alert as heavy rain is expected to continue in coming days, he said.

Authorities struggled to set up tents for the homeless in Luanda, most of whom live in the hundreds of shanty towns, made up of mud and tin huts, that surround the city.

Floods are common during Angola's October-April rainy season, often causing severe damage to infrastructure in Luanda, where one third of nation's 16.5 million people live. (Reporting by Henrique Almeida; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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