DAR ES SALAAM: More than 21 people have lost their lives following a landslide at a mine in northern Tanzania, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Sunday.

“It is with great sadness I received the reports of the deaths of more than 21 people following a landslide at Ng’alita mine in Bariadi district, Simiyu region,” Hassan said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “These fellow Tanzanians were small miners in the area, trying to earn a living for themselves, their families and contributing to the development of our nation,” she said.

“Our defence and security agencies, in cooperation with regional leaders, are continuing with efforts to find other bodies that are still stuck in the rubble.”

It was unclear when the accident occurred and no further details were available about the number of miners feared buried under the debris. Tanzania and its East African neighbours Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia have all been battling flash floods caused by torrential rains linked to the El Nino weather pattern. Seventy-six people were killed in landslides last month in the hillside town of Katesh in northern Tanzania.

The downpours last month also displaced 5,600 people and destroyed infrastructure in many parts of the country, forcing Hassan to cut short her participation in the COP28 climate talks in Dubai to deal with the disaster.