landslide
© APB
At least 26 people have died and more are missing after heavy rain triggered landslides Cibitoke province, northwestern Burundi.

Burundi's Ministry of Public Safety and Disaster Management said in a statement on 05 December that the landslide occurred in Nyempundu, Gikomero and Rukombe in Nyamakarabo zone, Mugina commune in Cibitoke province. Provisional assessments say that 26 people have died, 07 were injured and 10 people are still missing. Some media reports say the death toll has since climbed to 38. Search operations are still in progress. The Ministry said that houses, crops and livestock have also been damaged.

Heavy rain fell between 04 and 05 December, 2019. Images show that complete hillsides have fallen away in several locations. The area is still extremely unstable and the governor of Cibitoke, Joseph Iteriteka, urged people living in affected locations to evacuate their homes until further notice.


Heavy rain has also affected other areas of the country. News agency Agence Burundaise de Presse (ABP) reported flooding in Muramvya province, where the Mubarazi River has broken its banks, inundating roads and crops.

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