At least 109 people have been confirmed dead following the night of heavy rains that caused flooding and landslides in Western and Northern provinces, according to officials. Francois Habitegeko, the governor of Western Province said that the number of tragic deaths, caused by heavy rains on the evening of May 2 and 3, has increased from 55 initially announced to 95 people in his province. The affected districts include Ngororero, Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro and Karongi. Meanwhile, at least 14 people in Northern Province were also killed by heavy rains, officials said. This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period according to available records from recent years. A report by the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) indicates that over 60 people were killed by disasters from January to April 20, 2023. At least 408 disaster cases were recorded in this period. These include 107 windstorm cases, 66 rainstorms, three mine disasters, 77 lightning cases, seven landslides, 13 house collapses, eight hailstorms, 29 floods as well as 98 fires. It shows that 158 people were injured as 1, 205 houses got damaged. About 600 hectares of crops were destroyed by disasters while 368 livestock were lost. ALSO READ: Northern Province hit by 1,500 disaster cases over past five years. Over the past five years, the northern province Province has experienced at least 1,500 disaster cases, mainly floods and landslides, which have resulted in over 200 fatalities and damaged over 5,000 homes, according to the report released by the ministry in charge of emergency management last week. Floods have also destroyed four health centres, 16 churches, nine administrative offices, and 64 water supply systems, among other infrastructure. In addition, more than 3,000 hectares of crops have been washed away, and over 100 cows and 4,000 small livestock have died. ALSO READ: Rwanda meteorology agency releases May weather forecast. In many parts of the country, the expected rainfall will be slightly above the range of rainfall usually recorded in May. The forecast, released on May 2, states that the first 10 days of May 2023 are expected to be wetter than usual, with above-average rainfall, while the remaining days are expected to record rainfall within the usual range across the country. According to the spatial distribution map, a higher amount of rainfall is expected to range between 175 and 200 mm over many parts of North Western and parts of Nyamasheke District.
