Heavy rains and flooding have displaced 10,000 people and killed 28 in Tajikistan over the past month, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Tuesday.

A month of non-stop rain damaged over 2,000 buildings, drowned 3,000 livestock and wiped out 40,000 hectares (98,840 acres) of crops, said Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for OCHA.

Tajikistan's government has estimated the damage wrought by the rains at some 100 million dollars (71 million euros) and said the sum is expected to rise when assessments are completed, she added.

The poorest of the former Soviet republics, Tajikistan said last week it was appealing for millions of dollars in emergency aid from the UN to cope with the disaster.

Byrs said OCHA has already released 118,000 dollars to the central Asian state to help it purchase emergency aid items such as tents.