World poverty likely to rise because of effects of terrorist attacks

WASHINGTON – An additional 10 million people worlwide could live in poverty next year because of the economic impact the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are likely to have on developing countries, the World Bank said Monday.

The attacks are expected to hurt economic growth in developing nations until the end of next year, the Bank predicted in a preliminary assessment it released.

Countries dependent on tourism-related trade will likely be hit the hardest. The Caribbean, for example, already has seen about 65 percent of its booked vacations cancelled, the Bank reported. Farmers, rural laborers and others tied to the agriculture industry also are expected to bear a major part of the burden.

The worst hit region, however, will be in Africa, particularly in Sub-Saharan nations that now have few or no economic safety nets in place. The Bank estimated that an additional 20,000 to 40,000 children under age 5 could die because of the economic effects of the terrorists attacks. About half of those deaths are likely to occur in Africa.

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