A landslide at the Ng’alita mine in Bariadi district, Simiyu region, resulted in the tragic death of twenty-two individuals, as reported by district commissioner Simon Simalenga.
The incident occurred on Saturday when a group engaged in mining activities in a restricted area due to heavy rains, according to Simalenga’s statement to Reuters news agency.
Upon learning of the incident, President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her profound sadness at the loss of lives.
“These fellow Tanzanians were small miners in the area, trying to earn a living for themselves, their families,” she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mr Simalenga said he was initially told that there were 19 to 20 people trapped in the mines, but that 22 bodies ended up being retrieved.
According to quotes attributed to Faustine Mtitu, the acting commander of the region’s fire and rescue forces, as reported by AFP news agency, the search has been concluded. Mtitu stated that he is “convinced that there are no more bodies trapped in the rubble.”
Mr. Simalenga mentioned that approximately three weeks ago, a group of individuals commenced mining activities in the mineral-rich area. Subsequently, the government implemented safety procedures in response. The area had been restricted due to persistent heavy rains, leading to flash floods.
“The regional mining officer visited them and stopped them from mining as it was working on the required procedures” Mr Simalenga said.
Unregulated and illegal mining is common in Tanzania, which is one of the largest gold producers in the world.
The death toll from the landslide that occurred on Sunday in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, has climbed to 30, and 17 others have been injured.
The country’s interior minister, who visited the site to evaluate the extent of the damage, provided this update.
In the impoverished neighborhood of Mbankolo, heavy rains caused numerous homes to collapse into rubble. Concerns persist that several individuals may still be trapped beneath the debris.
“We just put a team that will work all day long to continue finding people,” Housing Minister Celestine Ketcha Courtès told the BBC.
One of the individuals rescued was a three-month-old baby. In light of the ongoing risk, authorities have requested that residents evacuate the neighborhood, which is classified as a hazardous area, to prevent another landslide.
According to local residents who spoke to the BBC, the incident happened due to heavy rains causing an overflow from a nearby reservoir. Some individuals who lost all their belongings in the event expressed that they have no alternative housing options.
A comprehensive investigation by a team of seismologists and geoscientists from the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA), the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and the Twifo Attimokwa District Assembly, has determined that the recent earth movement in Twifo-Mampong was as a result of a landslide.
The incident involved movement in the land on a steep hill with cocoa plantations following heavy rainfall on Thursday, June 29.
It was earlier reported that the incident was a caused by an earth tremor.
The GGSA confirmed that while residents in the area did not feel any ground shaking, several cocoa trees were destroyed due to the landslide.
In response to the findings, the Acting Director-General, Mr. Isaac Kuuwan Mwinbelle, assured farmers in the affected areas that they could resume their farming activities. However, caution was advised, urging them to stay away from such areas when there are signs of rainfall.
Previously, many farmers in the community had reported a suspected earth tremor, resulting in the destruction of large cocoa farms. The GGSA conducted the investigation to authenticate their claims and provide a clearer understanding of the situation.
“The Authority wishes to state that, monitoring records from our network of seismic stations located across the country did not record any major earth tremor event from the stations on the said date.
“However, minor earth disturbances recorded during the period did not have the potential to cause the impact that was recorded.
The geological materials observed at the site were highly weathered metasediments, which were saturated from the heavy downpour, resulting in the movement of materials in multiple locations along the slopes of the hill,” Mr Mwinbelle said.
The Acting Director-General emphasized the importance of enforcing proper land-use planning to prevent potential risks and instability in such areas. He strongly advised against infrastructural development on hill slopes, as they may lack stability.
To ensure public safety, the Acting Director-General further urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies to effectively enforce land-use planning regulations. By doing so, they can mitigate the potential hazards associated with unsuitable development in vulnerable areas.
Officials have reported that heavy rainfall and subsequent landslides in Abidjan, the main city of Ivory Coast, have resulted in the tragic loss of at least 10 lives, according to AFP news agency.
The district of Yopougon accounted for nine fatalities, while the remaining victim was in Cocody-Angre. The head of the military firefighting brigade (GPSM) confirmed these details to AFP.
The unfortunate incidents occurred in Yopougon during the early hours of Thursday, where two landslides caused not only fatalities but also several injuries.
Source: The Weather Channel
In Cocody-Angre someone drowned after being “swept away by the waters”, Anicet Bah, GSPM captain and deputy head of operations, told AFP.
Heavy rains are not unusual at this time of year in Abidjan.
Authorities have reported at least 15 fatalities, 20 injuries, and two people missing following landslides in southern Peru. They have issued a warning that the number of casualties could rise.
“The number of people dead so far has risen to 15,” according to the directorate of the National Civil Defense Institute in the Arequipa region, where mud and rock slides began on Sunday as a result of torrential rains, on Monday.
Secocha, which is situated on the banks of the Ocoa River in the Camaná province, is one of the regions in the department of Arequipa that is experiencing high water levels as a result of the persistently heavy rain.
The Ocoa was flowing at a rate of 585.6 cubic metres per second as of Monday morning, and the Peruvian government issued a warning that the swollen river could affect nearby population centres
To address the aftermath of the landslide, the Ministry of Health has announced on Twitter that it would send “two brigades made up of doctors, nurses and mental health professionals to the area”, as well as 150kg (330lb) of medicine to the region.
The Peruvian army has also deployed helicopters to the region, transporting humanitarian aid, drinking water and sandbags to the emergency site.
“Search and rescue efforts continue,” the ministry of defence said in a tweet that called out misinformation surrounding the landslide. With some media reports setting the death toll as high as 36, the ministry wrote it recommended that members of the public “obtain information from official sources”.
The Associated Press news agency reports that Wilson Gutierrez, a civil defence official in the Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel municipality, had previously said in an interview with radio station RPP that 36 people had died in an isolated area called Miski. RPP News also reported that some of the dead had been struck by falling rocks as they travelled by truck along the Urasqui-Secocha highway.
The protests were sparked in December when then-President Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress illegally ahead of his third impeachment hearing. The move led Congress to overwhelmingly impeach Castillo, who has since been detained on charges of rebellion and conspiracy.
His former vice president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in as Peru’s first female president that same day.
Castillo, once considered a dark horse candidate for the presidency, is a former school teacher and union organiser from Peru’s rural north. His presidency galvanised support in other impoverished, rural areas of the country, including Arequipa, where protesters stormed the airport and blocked highways in response to his arrest.
The demonstrations against Castillo’s detention have continued for more than two months, with protesters calling for Castillo’s release, Boluarte’s removal, the dissolution of Congress, new elections and a revised constitution.
Rescue operations are still underway at the scene northeast of Kuala Lumpur, where a landslide occurred early this morning.
In the early morning hours, a landslide buried a campsite close to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, killing at least 19 people. More than a dozen people are still missing, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
“The total is 19 people (dead),” Norazam Khamis, director of the Selangor state fire and rescue department, told reporters on Friday.
Two of the victims were “believed to be a mother and her child in a state of embrace buried under the earth”, he said, adding that 14 people were still missing.
Emergency services, including officers from 12 fire stations and civil defence, said they rushed to the scene– in a hilly part of the state of Selangor – after receiving a distress call at 2.24am on Friday (18:24 GMT on Thursday).
The Ministry of Local Government and Development said that dozens were pulled from the mud and debris with the injured taken to hospital. Authorities said rescue efforts would continue but if it rained, they would have to stop.
Damaged cars are seen amongst the debris during a rescue and evacuation operation following the landslide [Korporat JBPM/Reuters]
The National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) earlier said that 92 people were at the site when the disaster happened.
The landslide struck at the side of the road near an organic farm about 45 minutes northeast of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The farm operates three camping areas – one by the river, one with a view of the farm and one at the hilltop – and is a popular getaway for families from the city.
Camper Leong Jim Meng told the New Straits Times newspaper that he and his family were asleep when the landslide happened.
“We felt the earth move and the soil came down,” the 57-year-old said, adding that the mud covered their tent but they managed to escape to the car park area where he called the emergency services.
She said she and her mother managed to crawl out of their tent even after it was toppled in the landslide, but that one of her brothers had died and the other had been admitted to hospital.
“Everything happened too quickly,” she said.
She said she and her mother managed to crawl out of their tent even after it was toppled in the landslide, but that one of her brothers had died and the other had been admitted to hospital.
Kejadian Tanah Runtuh Fathers Organik Farms Gohtong
Pasukan Khas Pertahanan Awam (PASPA) dan APM Hulu Selangor bersama membantu pasukan keselamatan untuk bersama dalam operasi mencari dan menyelamat mangsa tanah runtuh di Fathers Organik Farms Gohtong, Batang Kali, pic.twitter.com/2WmMmBH9lq
— Official Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (@APMtwiter) December 16, 2022
Pictures shared on social media showed rescue workers searching through piles of mud and fallen trees to find survivors.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was “shocked” at the news of the landslide and had been briefed on the rescue efforts. He said some ministers were on the ground, and that he would visit the site later on Friday.
“Let’s pray for the people of Malaysia and hope that this mission goes smoothly,” he said in a statement.
Malaysia is in the midst of the monsoon and experiencing regular downpours.
Landslides are not uncommon in the areas near the capital in the rainy season.
According to Nga Kor Ming, the local government development minister, 61 people so far have been found safe after the predawn landslide near the town of Batang Kali, just outside Kuala Lumpur and near a mountain casino resort.
In March, officials in Selangor said they had identified some 150 slopes at high risk of landslides, many of them around the hills to the east of Kuala Lumpur.
A large landslide after 10 days of torrential rain in the same area led to the collapse of a block of apartments at the Highland Towers condominium complex in December 1993. Some 48 people died in the disaster, making it the worst building collapse in Malaysian history.
A landslide on a southern Brazilian highway has killed at least two people and left dozens missing.
Authorities said a torrent of mud fell on the BR-376 highway in the state of Paraná, damaging more than 21 vehicles.
Rescue workers on the scene said the search was complicated by bad weather and the remote location.
A thermal camera is being used by firefighters to locate possible survivors. Up to 30 people are still believed to be missing.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS Image caption, At least 15 cars and six lorries were engulfed in the mudslide.
Aerial footage shows one lorry precariously hanging over the side of a bridge. Rescue workers found the body of its driver, who was identified as 62-year-old João Pires.
A relative said he had worked as a lorry driver for most of his life and was well acquainted with the road where the accident happened.
Another lorry driver whose cab was buried in the mud was rescued with only minor injuries. José Altair Biscaia, 43, recorded a video of himself on his phone as he was trapped.
“I’m alive, thank God. I’m in the middle of the mud, just in a little corner which is left of the lorry. I’m full of cuts. but I’m alive,” he can be heard saying in the footage.
The inside of his cab looks mangled and there are blood stains. Outside the window there appears to be a wall of solid mud.
So far, six survivors have been located. Among them is the mayor of the coastal town of Guaratuba, Roberto Justus.
In a video uploaded to social media after his rescue, Mr Justus said it was “a miracle” he was alive.
“It was horrible,” he said. “The mountain just fell on top of us. It swept away every last car.”
He told local radio station Rádio Gaúcha that he and his driver, Cláudio Margarida, had broken the windows of their car to get out.
“A sea of mud, trees, branches hit the door of the car. I was on the passenger seat and the impact was such that our car was lifted. The mud kept coming and coming and lifting us until we were on top of the vehicles on the opposite carriageway,” he recalled.
The mudslide was triggered by days of heavy rain in Paraná.
Landslides are not uncommon in Brazil and hillside communities are often swept away when sodden mountainsides collapse.
In February, more than 200 people were killed in landslides in the town of Petrópolis in Rio state.
A number of people are believed to have died after a mudslide triggeredby heavy rains swept away homes on the Italian island of Ischia.
As it approached the coast early Saturday, the torrent of mud and debris uprooted trees, engulfed buildings, and dragged cars into the sea.
A woman’s body was discovered beneath the mud, and several other people are still missing.
Dozens of homes are cut off, and rescuers are hampered by bad weather.
Resident Lisa Mocciaro told Ansa news agency: “We started hearing loud thunder at about 03:00 (02:00 GMT), then the first landslide came down, followed by a second one around 05:00. It was horrifying.”
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told reporters the situation was “very complicated” and that the people missing were believed to be trapped under the mud. Up to 155mm (6.1in) of rain fell over the course of six hours.
IMAGE SOURCE,EPA Image caption, The mudslide dragged debris and trees down the mountains towards the coast of the island of Ischia
Heavy rains have been battering Campania, the region surrounding Naples and Ischia, for several days. A weather warning for rainfall and strong winds is in place until Sunday.
On Thursday, two people were killed due to bad weather in the region. An Argentine tourist drowned after being swept into the sea during a coastal storm, while a man was struck by lightning on a beach.
Earlier, Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said eight people had died in the landslide, adding: “From north to south, this country needs to be protected because it is the most beautiful country in the world.”
But the interior minister later said that no deaths had yet been confirmed.
Like nearby Capri, Ischia, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a popular holiday destination for tourists and Italians alike. Ischia featured in the popular book series Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante and was the backdrop to the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley.
At least 33 people have perished in landslides and floods in western Nepal during the past week, local media reported.
The northwest region of India, where thousands of citizens were evacuated, was slammed by the worst of the monsoon rains, according to officials.
The worst of the monsoon rains hit Karnali province in the northwest, where thousands of residents were evacuated, officials said.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged in the avalanches and flooding.
At least 22 people are still missing across the province and scores more have injuries.
Rescuers have described difficulties in getting to the mountainous region amid continuing rain.
‘We have mobilised police officers on the ground. We have arranged a helicopter for air rescue from Surkhet,” said one police spokesman, quoted by the Annapurna Post.
“However, unfortunately, due to the weather not improving, progress is not being made as expected.”
Most reports of missing people came from the low-lying Kalikot district. Thousands were evacuated from their homes there in the past week amid warnings of intense rain.
In some areas of the province, the Karnali river had risen to over 12m (39ft), Nepal’s emergency authorities said. Several suspension bridges over the river had also been washed away, local media reported.
Government officials have dispatched aid to the region on helicopters.
Meanwhile, the UN’s humanitarian agencies said they were distributing food and medicine to the worst affected communities in western Nepal.
Nepal is nearing the end of its monsoon season, which typically begins in June and ends in October.
According to tweets from the Uganda Red Cross, a landslide early on Wednesday triggered by heavy rains in the Kasese district on Tuesday night killed at least 16 persons in western Uganda.
Most of the recovered bodies were women and children, the red cross said. Six people were also injured and are receiving treatment at a local hospital, the red cross spokesperson Irene Nakasiita tweeted.
Emergency workers have been shoveling through the mud in search of survivors. Kasese district, where the disaster occurred, is prone to landslides, especially during the rainy season, because it sits in the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains that straddle the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have fallen on much of Uganda since late July, causing deaths and flooding, and the destruction of crops, homes, and infrastructure.
In July, flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in the Mbale district in eastern Uganda.
The country’s weather agency had warned it would be hit by unusually strong and destructive rains in the August-December season and advised people living in mountainous areas to be vigilant or evacuate to safer areas
More than 300,000 people have been affected by floods and landslides in Uganda’s eastern and western regions, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. An estimated 65,000 people have been displaced, the report added.
At least 24 people have been reported dead due to a landslide in eastern Kenya. The residents in West pokot were swept way by the landslide following heavy rains Friday evening in the region.
West Pokot County Commissioner Apollo Okello said 12 bodies, including seven children, have been recovered so far and that search efforts are continuing, reports The Daily Nation.
Rescue operations have been halted because most bridges have been swept and it is still raining heavily according to West Pokot County Commissioner Apollo Okello. Adding that, many people could be trapped in in Pokot South and Pokot Central says The standard
“Seven people of the same family were buried alive in Nyarkulian area, Pokot South and 24 were buried alive in Muino area, Pokot Central sub county,†said Okello.
UPDATE: 24 people feared dead following massive landslides caused by heavy downpour in West Pokot County. The affected villages are Nyarkulian, Muino and Parua. #NTVAtOne@Loise_Wanguipic.twitter.com/7h2ZB2rI0X
