Rainfall and high winds caused landslides that destroyed houses early Wednesday in the Mbeya region, said Jaffar Haniu, administrator for the Rungwe district where the landslides happened.
"The death toll now stands at 20," he told reporters. "One victim is a very young child, a year and a half old."
He said meteorologists predict more rainfall in the days ahead, and urged residents of landslide-prone areas to evacuate.
In neighboring Kenya, which experiences seasonal flooding each year, at least 88 people have been killed. Flooding events have affected 21 counties and at least two rivers have burst their banks since heavy rains started earlier this month.
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