At least 155 people have died in floods and landslides in Tanzania following heavy rains linked to El Niño, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has confirmed. He warned that the rains might continue into May and urged families to leave flood-prone areas.
Speaking to parliament, Mr Majaliwa said about 200,000 people and more than 51,000 households had been affected. In addition to the deaths, 236 people were injured. “The heavy El Niño rains, accompanied by strong winds, floods, and landslides in various parts of the country, have caused significant damage,” he said, including loss of life, destruction of crops, homes, and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and railways.
A resident in northern Tanzania’s Siha district told the BBC his home had been destroyed: “I have nothing left, everything has been wiped away.”
Heavy rains have also swept through neighbouring Kenya and Burundi. In Kenya, President William Ruto has ordered the army to assist rescue operations. More than 10 people died in Kenya this week, bringing the total to at least 45 since March, according to the Red Cross. In Burundi, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced.
BBC Weather’s Chris Fawkes said the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a major driver of the rains. During a positive phase, warmer waters in the western Indian Ocean bring heavier rain. When both a positive IOD and El Niño occur together, as last year, rains can become extreme. A similar combination in 1997–98 caused severe flooding and more than 6,000 deaths in five countries in the region.
