Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday evening announced cutting short her attendance at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, UAE, after landslides hit Tanzania, killing 57 people so far.

Suluhu’s spokesperson, Zuhura Yunus, said over 80 others had been injured and the Tanzanian leader was returning to handle the catastrophe closely.

“President Samia, who has been in Dubai for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has decided to cut short her trip and return to the country as soon as possible to deal with the situation closely,” the statement said.

Around 5,600 people have been affected, Ms Yunus said, adding that the president had ordered her government to pay for the funerals of those killed by the flooding and landslides.

Suluhu also directed the government to cover hospital fees for the wounded and temporary housing for those whose homes were ravaged by the landslides.

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Heavy rainfall over the weekend washed away vehicles and brought down buildings in the hillside town of Katesh, some 300 kilometers north of the capital Dodoma.