The death toll in the flooding in western Rwanda has gone up to 127, according to the office of President Paul Kagame, as a rescue operation is under way to reach stranded people amid torrential rains.
“Rescue interventions are ongoing in the most affected districts … in order to secure endangered citizens,” Kagame’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, the death toll 'continue to rise'. “This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period, according to available records from recent years,” the government-backed New Times newspaper reported.
Francois Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda’s Western province, told reporters that a search for more victims was underway following heavy rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Strong rainstorms started last week, causing flooding and mudslides that swept away several houses across the country and left some roads inaccessible.
The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has warned that more rain is coming. The government has in the past asked residents living in wetlands and other dangerous areas to relocate. The western and northern provinces and Kigali, the capital, are particularly hilly, making them vulnerable to landslides during the rainy season.
The Ministry of Emergency Management reported last month that from January to April 20, weather-related disasters killed 60 people, destroyed more than 1,205 houses and damaged 2,000 hectares (around 5,000 acres) of land across Rwanda.
Parts of East Africa, including Uganda’s southwest, also are seeing heavy rainfall. At least three people drowned in floods last week after a river burst its banks in the remote Ugandan district of Rukungiri.According to the state broadcaster, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), as of 03 May 2023, 105 people have died in Western Province and 14 in Northern Province.
Heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides from 02 to 03 May 2023. François Habitegeko, governor of the Western Province, told Reuters that the hardest-hit districts were Ngororero, Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro and Karongi. According to the governor, 14 people have died in Karongi, 26 in Rutsiro, 18 in Rubavu, 19 in Nyabihu and 18 in Ngororero.
The governor reported several people have been injured and more are feared missing after houses collapsed. “We are trying to rescue as many people as possible,” the governor said.
Rwanda National Police reported that the Mukamira-Ngororero and Rubavu-Rutsiro roads are impassable due to flooding and landslide debris, and advised drivers to find alternative routes.The Rwanda Meteorology Agency said above-average rainfall was expected in many parts of the country during the first 10 days of May.