At least 16 houses were destroyed early Thursday by a landslide in three villages in Musanze, a district in Northern Rwanda, senior local administrative official in he region said.
The district vice mayor in charge of Economic Development Andrew Rucyahana Mpuwe confirmed that landslides hit Muko, Kimonyi and Nkotsi sectors burying the homes in the process.
“The landslide occurred in separate phases since Wednesday night and destroyed houses in three villages,” he said adding that a team from the Ministry of Emergency Management and Refugee Affairs were sent to the site to assess the damage.
Initial investigation showed that it rained all night in the villages, causing the soil to loosen.
Latest officials estimates show that disasters, mainly floods and landslides as well as lightning strikes, killed 234 people from January to December 2018 and injured 268 others in Rwanda
According figures from the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management, some 15, 264 houses were destroyed, 9,412 hectares of crops damaged while 797 deaths of livestock were recorded.
Reports indicate that disaster induced damages in Rwanda caused more than Rwf204 billion (About $225 million) in economic losses in 2018.
CU/abj/APA