Floods and landslides in Rwanda’s northern and western districts have resulted in at least 130 fatalities, according to authorities.
An official told the BBC that one reason why so many people died was because the rains came down at night while many people were asleep. One of them was Claudette Nyiraneza’s five-year-old daughter.
She told the BBC, “We could not save my daughter under the rubble until morning,” and said that afterwards, neighbours assisted in recovering her body.
François Habitegeko, the local governor, claimed that numerous houses had fallen on individuals. He claimed that the region’s major roadways “are not usable because of landslides.”
According to RBA, the state broadcaster of Rwanda, the number of casualties is anticipated to rise as the floodwaters rise.
According to Habitegeko, the government’s first priority right now is to “reach every house that has been damaged to ensure we can rescue any person who may be trapped,” according to the Reuters news agency.
A government minister for emergencies, Marie Solange Kayisire, told Agency France Press (AFP) that relief work had already begun, “including helping to bury victims of the disaster and providing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed.”
More downpours are anticipated throughout the month, according to authorities, after Rwanda was pummelling “all night” by the heavy rains. In the country, severe rainstorms between March and May frequently commonly cause destruction and fatalities, but Tuesday night’s downpour was particularly severe and prolonged.
This is the most severe flooding that Rwanda has experienced since May 2020, when almost 80 people died.
Additionally, six landslides-related deaths have been reported in the neighbouring country of Uganda, according to the Ugandan Red Cross.
The exceptional rains over the past few years are being attributed to climate change by Rwanda’s weather service. Flooding is caused by a variety of variables, but climate change’s warming of the atmosphere increases the likelihood of extreme rainfall.
Since the start of the industrial era, the world has already warmed by about 1.2C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.
