Heavy rains displace 1,500 in Bujumbura Rural

More than 1,500 people were left homeless when a storm destroyed 281 houses in Gatumba zone, in the western province of Bujumbura Rural, officials said. The storm, which took place early on Tuesday, injured five people, among them a child and a pregnant woman. The heavy downpour uprooted trees and electric poles in the area, causing a power blackout. Prosper Banzamba, the head of Gatumba zone, located some 15 km from the capital, Bujumbura, appealed to the government and humanitarian agencies to assist the victims of the storm. "The urgent assistance that is needed now is food, blankets and other household equipment that were damaged," he said. The storm took place as provinces in the country's north, northeast and southeast are suffering from a drought following poor rainfall and a prolonged dry season.