More than 130 dead in flash floods in Rwanda and Uganda

Kigali — Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 129 people in Rwanda and six in Uganda, authorities said on Wednesday, as rescuers hunted survivors trapped in homes.

In chaotic scenes after weeks of rain in the region, one video clip posted by the state-owned Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) showed muddy water gushing down an inundated road and destroying houses. “We woke up at 2am and heard people screaming,” Angelique Nibagwire said from Karongi district in western Rwanda where at least 16 people died.

Another resident in the area, Nyandwi Emmanuel, said three relatives died after a house he was renting to them collapsed as they slept in the night.

In a statement, President Paul Kagame said his government was helping affected people, including with temporary relocations.

Alain Mukurarinda, Rwanda’s deputy government spokesperson, said fatalities had risen to 129 by 3.30pm.

“Our main priority now is to reach every house that has been damaged to ensure we can rescue any person who may be trapped,” said François Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda’s Western Province.

The death toll stood at 95 in the province, he said. The state broadcaster’s toll of 109 included deaths from a second region, the Northern Province.

Some people had been rescued and taken to hospital, Habitegeko said, but did not say how many.

The hardest-hit districts in the Western Province were Rutsiro with 26 dead, Nyabihu with 19, and 18 each in Rubavu and Ngororero, he said.

Habitegeko said the rain started at about 6pm (4pm GMT) on Tuesday and that the River Sebeya had burst its banks.

“The soil was already soaked from the previous days of rain, which caused landslides that closed roads,” he said.

The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has forecast rainfall above the average in May for the east African nation.

In neighbouring Uganda near the border with Rwanda, six people died overnight into Wednesday in an area in the southwestern Kisoro district, after heavy rains pounded the mountainous region, according to the Uganda Red Cross.

Five of the dead are from one family, and emergency workers have begun excavations to retrieve the bodies, the Red Cross said in a statement

Uganda has also been experiencing heavy and sustained rains since late March and in recent days landslides have been reported in other elevated areas, like Kasese near the Rwenzori mountains, where deluges and floods destroyed homes and displaced hundreds.

Update: May 3 2023
This article has been updated with new information.

Reuters