134 dead as Zimbabwe rains drown twins, flood Shangani Bridge

Floodwaters have claimed 134 lives since Zimbabwe's 2025/26 wet season kicked off, with 237 schools wrecked and 56 people stranded.

Shangani Bridge gridlocked by flooding

• Traffic froze at Shangani Bridge on the Gweru-Bulawayo Highway.
• Tarisai Mudadigwa confirmed it had never flooded there before.
• Rain dumped 170-plus millimeters in nine hours.
• Schoolchildren visiting a sanctuary stayed one extra day.

ZINWA dam spillage alerts

• ZINWA dropped a public warning on dam overflows.
• Tugwi-Mukosi, Mutirikwi, and Manjirenji got flagged.

Rescues and losses across the rivers

• Sixteen gold panners escaped Zvishavane's Muchingwe River.
• Four men got snagged from Chiredzi's Runde River.
• ECD twins from Utete Primary drowned in Muzarabani.
• Gokwe's Munyati River snatched two, and one's missing.

Government disaster response

• Civil protection got activated at every governance level.
• Disaster-response funds have been pushed out already.
• Food and essentials are reaching affected households.