At least 63 people have lost their lives in landslides caused by torrential rains in northern Tanzania, according to an updated report provided by authorities on Monday.
The rains, which have been raging since Saturday in the town of Katesh, about 300 kilometers north of the capital Dodoma, have led to devastating mudslides sweeping away vehicles and homes. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, visiting Katesh, said the number of victims now stood at 63, including 23 men and 40 women, while the previous toll showed 57 deaths. Authorities are expressing concern over the possibility of discovering more bodies, as 116 people have been reported injured.
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Search and rescue operations, supported by the army, are continuing to find any people buried under the mud. The city’s streets are littered with the debris of houses, and traffic and electricity distribution have been disrupted. Heavy rains and floods, attributed to the El Niño weather phenomenon, have affected East Africa for several weeks, displacing more than a million people in Somalia and causing more than 300 deaths in the region.
El Niño, generally associated with high temperatures, droughts in some areas and heavy rains in others, is expected to last until April. This meteorological phenomenon has already had devastating consequences in eastern Africa, causing major floods in 1997-1998 with more than 6,000 deaths in five countries in the region.
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