Bujumbura — Heavy rains that hit the commune of Kinama for the second time this month killed one person and destroyed more than 700 houses yesterday according to official sources.

These torrential rains also wounded six persons in Bubanza and Bukirasazi quarters.

Kinama is characterized by substandard housing, as are many slums of Bujumbura city, since many houses were destroyed during wartime and especially in 2000 when even a catholic church was destroyed by the former Burundian Armed Forces in reprisal against CNDD-FDD.

The population has been trying to rebuild their homes, but the general economic decline and the rise of prices of building materials have thwarted their effort.