Floods kill two, displace hundreds in SW Tanzania

Two people have been confirmed dead while hundreds of others have been rendered homeless in Tanzania's southwest district of Kyela following a continuous downpour that hit the area for almost one week, officials said on Thursday.

Kyela District Commissioner Thea Ntara told Xinhua in a telephone interview that several houses have also been shattered by the floods, and infrastructures have been destroyed, leading to closure of social services including schools in the district that borders Malawi.

"We are still gathering information. The number of those who have died might increase, because some areas are impassable due to floods," Ntara said, adding that a rescue team has been dispatched across the district to rescue people who have trapped into their homes due to floods.

Kyela District Council chairman Hunter Mwakifuna said the impact of the floods is big.

He said authorities are also gathering information on how many people are in need of humanitarian aid in the district.

"In some areas we visited we found that flood victims are in dire need of relief food, medicine and clean and safe water," he said, appealing to the government and other well-wishers to support the needy in the area.

Source: XINHUA