At least 68 dead after massive landslide in northern Tanzania Host irritates climate conference, boost for nuclear power plants – day four of COP28

At least 68 people have been killed in a landslide following heavy rain in Tanzania, East Africa. The number of reported injuries stood at 116 as of Monday evening, the regional commissioner for the Manyara region, Queen Sendiga, said. A team of 350 army rescue experts are on hand to rescue more victims. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan had announced that the government would bear the funeral costs of the victims.

The heavy rains started on Saturday evening and caused mudslides on Mount Hanang on Sunday morning, Sendiga said. The town of Katesh, located at the foot of the mountain, is particularly affected.

Numerous countries in East Africa have been experiencing flooding and flooding linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon for weeks. According to the governments and the UN emergency aid agency OCHA, a total of more than 200 people have been killed in Kenya and Somalia alone. Millions of people had to flee their villages and cities. The heavy rains followed one of the worst droughts in the Horn of Africa.

The El Niño phenomenon, caused by a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean, causes, among other things, a ‘reversal’ of the weather with heavy rainfall in drought areas and drought in otherwise rainy areas. The phenomenon can usually be observed every two to seven years. According to climate researchers, ongoing global warming is leading to an increase in particularly violent El Niño events. (sda/dpa)