<p>Torrential rains caused flooding in western and northern Rwanda, killing at least 129 people, a public broadcaster said Wednesday.</p>.<p>The death toll “continues to rise,” the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency said Wednesday.</p>.<p>“This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period, according to available records from recent years,” the government-backed <em>New Times</em> newspaper reported.</p>.<p>Francois Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda's Western province, told reporters that a search for more victims was underway following heavy rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/what-if-the-monsoons-fail-in-2023-1213738.html" target="_blank">What if the monsoons fail in 2023?</a></strong></p>.<p>Strong rainstorms started last week, causing flooding and mudslides that swept away several houses across the country and left some roads inaccessible.</p>.<p>The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has warned that more rain is coming.</p>.<p>The government has in the past asked residents living in wetlands and other dangerous areas to relocate.</p>.<p>The western and northern provinces and Kigali, the capital, are particularly hilly, making them vulnerable to landslides during the rainy season.</p>.<p>The Ministry of Emergency Management reported last month that from January to April 20, weather-related disasters killed 60 people, destroyed more than 1,205 houses and damaged 2,000 hectares (around 5,000 acres) of land across Rwanda.</p>.<p>Parts of East Africa, including Uganda's southwest, also are seeing heavy rainfall.</p>.<p>At least three people drowned in floods last week after a river burst its banks in the remote Ugandan district of Rukungiri.</p>
<p>Torrential rains caused flooding in western and northern Rwanda, killing at least 129 people, a public broadcaster said Wednesday.</p>.<p>The death toll “continues to rise,” the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency said Wednesday.</p>.<p>“This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period, according to available records from recent years,” the government-backed <em>New Times</em> newspaper reported.</p>.<p>Francois Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda's Western province, told reporters that a search for more victims was underway following heavy rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/what-if-the-monsoons-fail-in-2023-1213738.html" target="_blank">What if the monsoons fail in 2023?</a></strong></p>.<p>Strong rainstorms started last week, causing flooding and mudslides that swept away several houses across the country and left some roads inaccessible.</p>.<p>The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has warned that more rain is coming.</p>.<p>The government has in the past asked residents living in wetlands and other dangerous areas to relocate.</p>.<p>The western and northern provinces and Kigali, the capital, are particularly hilly, making them vulnerable to landslides during the rainy season.</p>.<p>The Ministry of Emergency Management reported last month that from January to April 20, weather-related disasters killed 60 people, destroyed more than 1,205 houses and damaged 2,000 hectares (around 5,000 acres) of land across Rwanda.</p>.<p>Parts of East Africa, including Uganda's southwest, also are seeing heavy rainfall.</p>.<p>At least three people drowned in floods last week after a river burst its banks in the remote Ugandan district of Rukungiri.</p>