Extreme Weather Claims 49 Lives As Heavy Rains Threaten More Damage

Severe weather conditions have taken a heavy toll across the country this rainy season, with 49 people losing their lives in a series of extreme weather incidents. Officials warned that further heavy rains, forecast until tomorrow, could trigger additional flash floods and landslides, jeopardizing communities, especially in low-lying areas.

The Department of Civil Protection reported widespread destruction of both private property and public infrastructure. Damages include roads, bridges, shops, and a church, with the total value of destruction exceeding US$330,000. In addition, 992 houses and 139 schools have suffered significant damage, leaving many residents displaced and in urgent need of assistance.

In a recent statement, Department of Civil Protection chief director Mr. Nathan Nkomo provided an overview of the ongoing crisis. “Weather advisory forecasted heavy rains across all the country’s 10 provinces from February 19 to 24, 2025. The downpours have the potential to cause flash flooding, riverine flooding, landslides, mudslides, and lightning,” he said. He detailed several drowning incidents, including one in which a 50-year-old man from Shurugwi was swept away by the Mutevekwi River on February 16, with his body recovered two days later by a specialized police unit.

In Kwekwe, a devastating flash flood struck on February 18, inundating homes in the Mbizo area and causing extensive property damage. Meanwhile, in Buhera district, two five-year-old children from Mudinzwa village drowned in a stream, with their bodies later recovered by local authorities. In Chipinge, heavy flooding on February 16 stranded 15 people on Lisungwe Island during farming activities. A coordinated rescue operation over two days evacuated 13 individuals, though two residents remain on the island despite repeated evacuation efforts, prompting law enforcement intervention.

Elsewhere in Mhondoro, heavy rains left 13 households homeless on February 13, and a mine shaft collapse at Magodo Mine on February 16 trapped 10 miners, with rescue operations ongoing for those still trapped. In Beitbridge, a newly married couple lost their lives on Valentine’s Day when their house in Tshaswingo village collapsed under the force of the rains. On February 17, a tragedy unfolded in Matobo when a young early childhood development learner was swept away by a flooded stream near Donkwedonkwe Primary School.