Africa-Press – Tanzania. THREE children have died and other 600 people have been rendered homeless in Sumbawanga District, Rukwa Region, after raging floods damaged their houses due to heavy rain on Thursday.
The rain, which was accompanied by strong wind, caused 23 people to suffer broken limbs and multiple wounds. One of the injured was a woman aged 60 years, Ms Felisia Lufungulo from Msanda B Village, whose limbs were broken.
Two more people were severely injured after being hit by lightning.
A Morovian Church building at Msanda B Village, whose walls were broken down and the roofs of two classrooms at Lyapona Primary School were damaged, including six latrine pits at Mlenje Primary School.
It was further reported that 19 cows drowned in a flooded river at Kaengesa Village.
This grim picture was revealed by Sumbawanga District Commissioner (DC), Dr Halfany Haule, during an exclusive interview with the ‘Daily News’ held in municipal council yesterday.
He said the floods hit 11 villages in Sumbawanga District during the start of the rainy season from October to December last year.
In the wake of hostile weather, 107 houses were also damaged and their walls and roofs were damaged, which made several members of families abandon their houses.
“The latest incident occurred on December 22, last year, when 90 family members were rendered homeless when the heavy rain, accompanied by strong wind hit Tamasenga and Malagano villages in Sumbawanga Municipal Council and two people were reported to have been struck by lightning and sustained injuries,” added the DC.
Administratively, Sumbawanga District has been divided into two – Sumbawanga District Council and Sumbawanga Municipal Council.
The DC said among the 11 villages hit by the heavy rain included Kavifuti, Kaengesa, Lyapona, Msanda A and B and Mlelezi at Upper Ufipa Plateau in Sumbawanga District Council.
Kinambo and Ng’ongo villages along Lake Rukwa Rift Valley in Sumbawanga District Council as well as Tamasenga and Malagano villages in Sumbawanga Municipal Council were also hit.
“Experts from a district disaster team has assessed the actual loss caused by the rain and has established that properties and infrastructures worth 95.3m/- were damaged and Kwela MP Deus Sangu donated 600,000/- cash as humanitarian assistance to survivors,” explained the DC.
