At least 50
people are reported to have died after floods and landslides hit the Burundi
capital, Bujumbura.
The BBC's Cyiriaque Muhawenayo in
the city says it is not yet possible to give accurate figures because bodies
may be hidden in the mud or under debris.
One man said he had lost nine
relatives.
Our correspondent says the main
hospital's morgue is full, and that people are being treated outside.
Water and mud flooding down from
hills outside the city have washed away hundreds of houses, according to
police.
"The rain that fell in
torrents overnight on the capital caused a disaster," Security Minister
Gabriel Nizigama told reporters.
"We have already found the
bodies of 51 people killed when their houses collapsed or were swept
away," he said.
The AFP news agency reports that
torrential rain fell for 10 hours overnight and caused widespread power cuts.
Roads and crops have also been
destroyed.
Bujumbura is on a plain that lies
between a range of hills and Lake Tanganyika. (BBC)
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