Bujumbura Floods Leave 50 Dead

At least 50 people are reported to have died after floods and landslides hit the Burundi capital, Bujumbura.

Water and mud flooding down from hills outside the city have washed away hundreds of houses, according to police.

“The rain that fell in torrents overnight on the capital caused a disaster,” Security Minister Gabriel Nizigama told reporters.

“We have already found the bodies of 51 people killed when their houses collapsed or were swept away,” he said.

The AFP news agency reports that torrential rain fell for 10 hours overnight and caused widespread power cuts.

Roads and crops have also been destroyed.

Bujumbura is on a plain that lies between a range of hills and Lake Tanganyika.