At least 109 people have been killed in western Rwanda in flooding triggered by heavy rains.
“Flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains last night in Western Province has caused over 55 deaths,” government spokesperson Yolande Makolo initially told journalist.
But François Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda’s Western Province, later told Reuters news agency that the death toll stood at 109.
A video clip posted on the state-run Rwanda Broadcasting Agency’s Twitter account showed muddy water running along a road and houses that had been destroyed.
“It rained heavily all night, causing immense suffering in the districts of Ngororero, Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro, and Karongi,” Habitegeko said.
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The hardest-hit districts in his province were Rutsiro, with 26 dead, Nyabihu with 19, and 18 each in Rubavu and Ngororero, he added.
The soil was already soaked from the previous days of rain, which caused landslides that closed roads,” added the governor.
Habitegeko said the rain started at about 6pm (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday and the River Sebeya burst its banks.
The Rwanda Meteorology Agency had said the East African nation is expected to receive above-average rainfall in May.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA