The Permanent Secretary at MINEMA, Philippe Habinshuti, stated that some were killed by landslides while others died due to lightning strikes.

The most recent victims were from the Rutsiro district, killed by landslides after heavy rainfall on the night leading to Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Additionally, in the Gasabo district, a woman and her child were killed when their house collapsed due to the weekend’s heavy rains.

These rains have also damaged infrastructure, including buildings, roads, crops, and other property across different regions of the country.

Habinshuti mentioned that assessments are ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage caused by these disasters.

The National Meteorological Agency, Meteo Rwanda, has recently forecasted that heavy rainfall will continue across all parts of Rwanda in the first ten days of May 2024.

The Rwandan government has been urging residents living in high-risk areas to relocate.

Christine Niyotwambaza, the Director in charge of disaster-prone areas at MINEMA, reported that 4768 families have been relocated, noting that up to 8300 families are in locations deemed risky for their safety.

Currently, the heavy rains are particularly affecting the Northern, Western, and Southern provinces, indicating that 326 areas are at risk of disasters due to the ongoing heavy rainfall.