Deaths toll from Tanzania’s Heavy Floods Rises to 68

Tanzania has recorded a death toll of 68 due to landslides and flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The disaster occurred in the town of Katesh, 300 kilometers north of Dodoma, where landslides washed away vehicles and destroyed buildings.

The disaster has led to 116 people being injured and 68 deaths confirmed. Rescue operations are ongoing, with the military’s help. The disaster has prompted Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan to postpone her visit to Dubai for the COP28 climate talks.

Tanzania and its East African neighbors are also grappling with flash floods caused by El Nino weather patterns. The floods are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region, which is recovering from the worst drought in four decades.

Between October 1997 and January 1998, widespread flooding caused over 6,000 deaths in five countries in the region. Scientists argue that human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events longer, more intense, and more frequent.