Six children died and sixteen families left homeless after succumbing to a destructive heavy down pour on Sunday that caused landslides in Kinyababa, Butaro, Burera district and areas of Rusarabuge both in the northern province.
The mayor of Burera Samuel Sembagare told Igihe.com reporter that two girls in Rusumo cell in Butaro sector on Sunday night passed away as heavy rolling stones from the mountains hit their bedroom.
Another child from the same family survived the accident and is now in hospital under treatment. However, the parents of the victims luckily escaped the hit as they were in a distant room.
The deceased were aged 14 and 7 while the injured who is 15 explained the incident from Kinyababa sector. Three girls also died due to landslides the same night while their parents narrowly escaped death.
In Rusarabuge sector, a female aged 18 recently passed away when she drowned in a river as she was going for a weeding. The body of victim was found a few days later after the incident.
“It’s a disaster and disasters have no appointments with anyone. Normally we don’t experience such heavy rains but we are in a mountainous area and rock in this area is soft. Hadn’t the people cut down the trees and bamboo we planted in the past the danger wouldn’t have been immense,” The district mayor explained.”
This was confirmed by Mr. Christophe Nzabikorera in charge of finance and administration in the ministry of disaster and refugee repatriation (MIDMAR) who acknowledged that too much bamboo had been cleared and the landscape is now almost bare.
Nzabikorera said that at the moment the ministry is working hand in hand with the district administration to help survivors and those left homeless.
Journalists counted 16 houses demolished by the landslide and the homeless have so far been given shelter at Butaro Center while others are sheltering with neighbors.
The mayor assured reporters that measures are under way to completely end these disastrous incidents in the areas by emphasising on Midugudu settlements.
“Every body’s participation is needed. We shall get support from the government, local administration not forgetting the community service by the locals to help our brothers and sisters who have become victims of the landslides.
He proposed to MINAGRI to quickly deliver maize seeds to the region. “Let them help us so that we don’t fall victims of famine because we have lost more than 100 hectares of potatoes we were expecting to harvest.”
“We request the ministry of infrastructure to help us construct our bridges because they were damaged and rehabilitation requires a lot of skills we can’t afford.”
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