NYABIHU- More than 14 members of the same family are feared dead following a mudslide in Rugera Sector, Nyabihu District.

Neighbours told The New Times, yesterday, that a collapsing hillside engulfed the houses the family members were sleeping in during the wee hours of Friday morning.

Those missing include 39 year-old Jean Damascene Nzamuhabwanimana, his 11 children and three wives identified as Alphonsine Ntibarikure, Gorette Nyirahabyarimana and Esperance Akingeneye.

An eyewitness, Agnes Mukamana, said that a heavy downpour triggered the landslide.

The district’s Vice Mayor, Angela Mukaminani, said some parts of the area had been evacuated because of the risk of further landslides.

"We have temporarily relocated residents living near the scene of the accident to avoid more deaths as we intensify the search for those who are suspected to have died,” Mukaminani said.

By press time, 11 bodies had been retrieved but the search was still on for the rest of the family.

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