Tanzania flood, landslide death toll jumps to 47


  • World
  • Monday, 04 Dec 2023

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - The number of people killed by floods and landslides in northern Tanzania has jumped to 47, with another 85 people injured, following torrential rain, a senior government official said.

Severe flooding caused by a combination of the El Nino and Indian Ocean dipole weather phenomena has killed hundreds of people in Kenya and Somalia and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes since seasonal rains began in October.

Search and rescue operations were underway in the Manyara region as authorities fear some bodies might be trapped in the mud, Manyara region commissioner Queen Sendiga told reporters late on Sunday.

"As of the evening, we have rescued 85 injured persons who are continuing with the treatments and others have been discharged. The death toll has increased to 47 people," she said.

Around 100 houses in the village of Katesh, Hanang district, were swallowed by a landslide, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in a video message posted online by the ministry of health.

"We are very shocked by this event," Suluhu said.

Climate change is causing more intense and more frequent extreme weather events, according to climate scientists.

(Reporting by Nuzulack Dausen; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

US pollsters underestimate Trump support -- again
Trump's rollercoaster relationship with North Korean leader Kim
Germany still capable of functioning, economy minister says
In this US school district, some parents are pushing back against a cellphone ban
After Trump took the lead, election deniers went suddenly silent
Australia moves to ban children under 16 from social media
In the end, women did not save Harris at ballot box
Photo Gallery: The day after Trump's win
Roblox will ban kids under 13 from ‘social hangouts’
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app

Others Also Read