16 April 2018•Update: 17 April 2018
By Peter Saramba Ongiri
MWANZA, Tanzania
Floods caused by incessant rains in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam have killed at least nine people, emergency officials said Monday.
Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda confirmed the death toll, adding that public schools have been closed to avoid more casualties from the rains that began last Saturday.
"It is not convenient to send children to school in this situation where vehicles are prone to accidents and infrastructure of some schools has been destroyed," he said.
Two other people were reported dead in northern Mwanza city.
Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) has warned of heavy rainfall in the areas around the Indian Ocean, including Zanzibar Islands, Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Lindi and Mtwara regions.
Residents living in lowland areas have been affected by the floods the most.
Makonde urged people to shift from the valleys to the highlands.
Many parts of the country receive heavy rainfall in March and April, however, this year has broken new records.
