Over 5,000 homes have been demolished and at least 130 people have died in Rwanda in the past few days as a result of heavy rains and flooding.

Pope Francis responded by sending a telegram to Archbishop Arnaldo Catalan, the Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda, expressing his condolences to all who had been impacted. Pope expressed on Thursday his profound sadness at learning of the casualties and destruction brought on by the recent flooding in Rwanda's western and northern provinces.

Pope Francis also acknowledged his spiritual kinship with everyone who is in pain following this catastrophe. He also pledged to pray for people who had died, were hurt, had been displaced, and were working on recovery.

The Pope concluded his telegram by bestowing his Apostolic Blessing on all the citizens of Rwanda.

Current Situation
Alain Mukuralinda, the deputy government spokesperson for Rwanda, told journalists on Thursday that 130 fatalities had been reported since the floods started on Tuesday night.

He stated that there are 77 injuries, 36 of which are now being treated in hospitals, and five persons are reportedly still missing.

Residents need to be relocated and provided with shelter after over 5,100 homes were demolished and another 2,500 were damaged.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente paid a visit to the devastated areas in western Rwanda and stated that searches were still being conducted to find those who had vanished. He also warned that the death toll would increase.