A six-year old child died and 390 people have been rendered homeless following heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in two villages along the Lake Rukwa Rift Valley Basin in Sumbawanga District, Rukwa Region.

In the wake of the hostile weather pattern, 300 residents of Matete area in Nkwilo Village along the Rift Valley Basin abandoned their houses.

The Rukwa Regional Commissioner, Mr Joachim Wangabo, told the 'Sunday News' over the phone yesterday that a boy aged six died while 390 families had been rendered homeless following the heavy rains accompanied by strong winds that hit Kipa Village in Mwadui Ward.

According to the RC the downpour that lasted for 15 minutes on Friday night damaged 16 houses. "Although the actual damage caused by the downpour has not been assessed so far, the latest reports show that the incident had claimed the life of a six year old child," the RC explained.

The Mwandui Ward Councillor, Mr Cledo Mshindo, told this paper over phone that at that material night, the child was fast asleep and all of sudden the wall of the house he was sleeping in collapsed.

He said the whole of Matete area in Nkwilo village was swallowed up by flood waters. "It is a big disaster as families of about 300 people had been left homeless after abandoning their houses," he remarked.

Practically the whole Matete area has been submerged under water, as 60 houses had either been submerged or washed ashore," Mr Mshindo further said.

A cross section of victims who were interviewed by this paper separately appealed to the government and well-wishers to bail them out through humanitarian assistance.

"We have been left with nothing, as whatever we had, including food, shelters and even clothes have been damaged. We have been reduced to destitute," explained one of the victims, Ms Janet Macheta.