Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall kill at least 20 people in Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 20 people in southern Tanzania in recent days, authorities said, as the death toll from across the wider East African region continues to rise.

Rainfall and high winds caused landslides that destroyed houses early Wednesday in the Mbeya region, said Jaffar Haniu, administrator for the Rungwe district where the landslides happened.

“The death toll now stands at 20,” he told reporters. “One victim is a very young child, a year and a half old.”

He said meteorologists predict more rainfall in the days ahead, and urged residents of landslide-prone areas to evacuate.

In neighboring Kenya, which experiences seasonal flooding each year, at least 88 people have been killed. Flooding events have affected 21 counties and at least two rivers have burst their banks since heavy rains started earlier this month.

But the scale and intensity of the current crisis have renewed concerns about disaster preparedness and the vulnerability of communities living near rivers and flood-prone areas. The military was deployed to assist emergency rescue services.

In southern Ethiopia, at least 80 people were killed in landslides earlier in March.

Last month, the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre of a regional bloc known as IGAD said the March-May rainy season has a 45% chance of above-average rainfall across most countries in the region, with affected countries ranging from Uganda to Djibouti.