Around 10 hours of torrential rain during the night of Sunday 9 February and into the early hours of today has led to floods and landslides in the Burundi capital, Bujumbura.
Flood water and mud caused devastation as it swept down hillsides on the outskirts of the city. Early estimates say that at least 50 people have been killed, although there are no accurate figures available as yet. The bodies were found buried after houses and other buildings had collapsed. Several hundred homes have been completely destroyed in the disaster. Hundreds of people are thought to have been injured.
It is understood that wide areas of farmland, as well as some roads and bridges have also been destroyed.
PHOTO 3: Flooding in Bujumbura, Burundi govt says it will cover health costs for all the injured – via @aiglenoir5 pic.twitter.com/Tw0G42o6mu
— Fred Mwasa (@mwasa) February 10, 2014
Burundi regularly suffers from heavy rain and floods, usually around March and April time. Areas near the city of Bujumbura suffered from flooding in April 2009, where at least 8,000 people were displaced after 1,200 homes were destroyed.
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