Tanzania Floods: Tragedy strikes Hanang District with at least 65 fatalities after heavy overnight rain (UPDATES)

Saboor Bayat
BNN
Sun, 03 Dec 2023 13:34 UTC

In the early hours of December 3, 2023, the tranquil life in Katesh and Gendabi areas within Hanang District, Manyara Region, Tanzania, was interrupted by severe flooding. The overnight rains triggered mudslides and instigated the partial collapse of Mount Hanang. The aftermath - a shocking tally of at least 20 fatalities and 70 injuries, with homes, shops, business areas, and the main bus station in Katesh lying in ruins.

Casualties and Rescue Efforts

Janeth Mayanja, the District Commissioner of Hanang, confirmed the casualties and the ongoing rescue operations. The rescue mission, however, is fraught with challenges, as many of the affected areas remain inaccessible. The Chairman of the Hanang District Council, Rose Kamili, shared these concerns, indicating the complexity of the situation on the ground.

Local Voices and Concerns

Jeremiah Siay, a local resident of the area, spoke of his missing relatives and the extensive loss of property and livestock. His narrative paints a vivid picture of the catastrophe, echoing the distress and uncertainties that many residents are grappling with. Queen Sendiga, the Regional Commissioner of Manyara, is scheduled to visit the district, raising hopes of expedited aid and relief.

Broader Implications

This disaster underscores the urgent need for robust water resource management solutions and disaster preparedness in the region. It also highlights the vulnerability of these areas to the impacts of the climate crisis, with scientists predicting more frequent and severe weather events. On a related note, the report also indicated a decrease in fuel prices, effective the following day, which could have ramifications on the overall economic landscape of the country.

Comment: Update December 4

Reuters reports:

The death toll from floods and landslides in northern Tanzania following torrential rains over the weekend has risen to more than 50, with 750 acres of farmland destroyed, the president's office said on Monday.

Zuhura Yunus, spokesperson for President Samia Suluhu Hassan's office said in a statement that the landslides and floods had affected 1,150 households, or 5,600 people.

Severe flooding caused by El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole weather phenomena has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes since seasonal rains began in October.

Update December 6

Al Jazeera reports:

At least 65 people have been killed in landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rainfall in northern Tanzania, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Tuesday, revising the death toll of 68 given by regional officials a day earlier.

Torrential downpours over the weekend washed away vehicles and brought down buildings in the hillside town of Katesh, 300km (185 miles) north of the capital, Dodoma.

"Two more bodies were found in the ongoing search and now the death toll has reached 65," Majaliwa said.

Images broadcast on television showed debris from houses, including furniture, strewn across streets, with key roads, power lines and communication networks disrupted.

"From around five in the morning [on Sunday], I heard loud bangs outside the house. When we tried to escape, it was too late because mud, trees, and stones were rolling from the mountain," said a man named James, who lost his wife and daughter in the disaster.

Some 5,600 people have been displaced by the landslides, said Mobhare Matinyi, a government spokesperson.

Rashid Ntandu, 24, lost his house in the disaster and found shelter in a school in Katesh which has been turned into a refuge centre.

"I believe there are more bodies covered by mud," he said.