A government official claimed on Thursday that floods and landslides caused by severe rains killed more than 130 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes in Rwanda this week.
As a consequence of the rains that started on Tuesday evening, flooding and landslides occurred in the country’s western and northern areas. On Wednesday, 129 people had already been killed.
“As of now, there have been 130 confirmed fatalities.” In addition, 77 persons were injured, with 36 of them receiving medical attention. The government’s deputy spokesperson, Alain Mukuralinda, said that five people had gone missing.
He said that about 5,100 houses had been destroyed and another 2,500 had been seriously damaged. He ruled that everyone who lived there had to be relocated immediately.
Rains caused floods and landslides in the Rubavu region, and inhabitants were forced to pump water from their inundated homes.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente visited the affected areas in western Rwanda, noting that search activities were still ongoing since some corpses remained buried in the mud. “These disasters were caused by floods and erosion, which resulted in houses collapsing on people,” he said.
According to Mukuralinda, the landslides and flooding destroyed 17 roadways, 26 bridges, 1 hospital, 2 health posts, and 5 health facilities.
He said that the government had provided food, hygiene kits, beds, and cooking utensils, which were currently en route to the worst-affected communities of Ngororero, Rubavu, Rutsiro, and Nyabihu in Western Province.
Rwanda has been plagued by sustained and heavy rain since late March.
