PUNCH
At least 127 people have died as floods and landslides engulfed several parts of Rwanda after torrential rains, destroying homes and cutting off roads, the presidency said on Wednesday.
Images posted online by the state broadcaster showed rivers of mud sweeping through the streets as residents scrambled for safety.
“Rescue interventions are ongoing in the most affected districts… in order to secure endangered citizens,” the office of President Paul Kagame said in a statement.
“My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the landslides and floods that occurred last night in the Western, Northern and Southern Provinces,” Kagame said in a separate statement on Twitter.
“We are doing everything within our means to address this difficult situation. I am personally following up the response closely.”
Earlier, the state-run Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) said 115 people had died in the Western and Northern Provinces and warned that the floodwaters were still rising “causing a threat to more lives”.
Most of the deaths occurred in Western Province which borders Lake Kivu, it said, adding that homes and…
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