Scores dead in Tanzania and Kenya as heavy rains pound East Africa

At least 155 people have died in Tanzania as torrential rains linked to El Nino triggered flooding and landslides, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said Thursday.

Tanzania and other countries in East Africa – a region highly vulnerable to climate change – have been pounded by heavier than usual rainfall during the current rainy season, with dozens of deaths also reported in Kenya.

Majaliwa said more than 51,000 households and 200,000 people have been affected by the rains, with 155 fatalities and 236 people injured.

"The heavy El Nino rains, accompanied by strong winds, floods, and landslides in various parts of the country, have caused significant damage," Majaliwa told parliament in Tanzania's capital Dodoma.

"These include loss of life, destruction of crops, homes, citizens' property, and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and railways," he added.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere, and can have a devastating impact in East Africa.

Deadly flash floods in Nairobi

In Burundi, one of the poorest countries on the planet, around 96,000 people have been displaced by months of relentless rains.

(AFP)

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