MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's prime minister says 110 people have died from hunger in the past 48 hours in a single region as a severe drought threatens millions of people.

This is the first drought-related death toll announced by Somalia's government since it declared a national disaster on Tuesday.

The United Nations estimates that 5 million people in this Horn of Africa nation need aid, amid warnings of a full-blown famine.

Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire spoke Saturday during a meeting with the Somali National Drought Committee.

The death toll he announced is from the Bay region in southwestern Somalia alone.