Girl drowns, property lost as heavy rains pummel Mwanza

Mwanza. A primary schoolgirl in Mabatini, Nyamagana District drowned yesterday after heavy rains slammed the city destroying property.

Mabatini street chairman Ntobi Ntobi confirmed the death of the child, who had attempted to cross a flooded river Mirongo with her father.

The girl, identified as Jennifer Joseph, was a pupil at Mabatini Primary School.

Although the extent of the damage caused by the disaster is yet to be known, many people complained that they had lost their properties due to the downpour.

However, the acting City Fire and Rescue Commander, Mr Hamidu Nguya, confirmed the death of the six-year-old girl, the daughter of a Mr James Joseph.

Mr Nguya said the fire rescue unit tried to rescue the child but it when they arrived at the scene it was too little too late the girl had already drowned.

“The father of the child called us and told us that the girl was trapped at Nera in Ilemela District along the river, but when we arrived she had already died.”

Many people, especially traders, lost their properties after they were swept away by the rain.

As of late yesterday evening a rescue team from the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Department was searching for bodies believed to have been drowned in the river.

Mr Juma Said who runs a stationery shop at Mabatini said he had been hit by a loss amounting to Sh7 million due to the floods.

“I had three photocopy-cum-printing machines each worth of Sh1.5 million, a desktop computer worth Sh1 million and stationery materials, including books and plain papers that were destroyed,” he said. Mrs Zuhura Gati said she lost several properties from her salon, adding that she had lived all her life in the city but had never witnessed such a heavy rain.