At least 20 people have been killed by floods after heavy rain in the Manyara region of northern Tanzania, the ministry of health said on Sunday.
Severe flooding caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon has killed hundreds of people in Kenya and Somalia in recent weeks.
The rains have also left a trail of destruction, ruining infrastructure like roads and submerging towns in East Africa, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, directed security agencies, the ministry of health and other relevant bodies to focus on ongoing search and rescue efforts to prevent more deaths.
“I want to say that I have instructed that all efforts are directed towards rescuing those who were involved in this tragedy and to prevent more deaths,” Hassan said.
“I have directed our security and health ministries to get to the scene to attend to the injured. I have also asked officials from ministry of Mining to investigate what is happening in this mountainous region,” she added.
