At least 176 people killed in eastern DR Congo floods
Heavy rain in South Kivu province causes the river to overflow, causing significant damage in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.
At least 176 people have died in flash floods in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a regional official says
Torrential rain in South Kivu province on Thursday caused a river to overflow and resulted in significant damage and loss of life in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi, the provincial government said in a statement.
South Kivu Governor Théo Ngwabidje Kasi estimated the death toll at 176 and said other people are still missing. A local civil society member, Kasole Martin, said 227 bodies had been found.
“People sleep in the open air. Schools and hospitals have been wiped out,” said Martin.
The weather had cleared by Friday, revealing flattened houses and corrugated iron roofs protruding from thick layers of mud, photos showed.
Wild-looking survivors stood outside a wooden shed in which Red Cross workers in blue scrubs piled bodies. Many had lost clothing and were covered in dirt.
Flooding and landslides are not uncommon in South Kivu.
The last incident of a similar magnitude occurred in October 2014 when torrential rain destroyed more than 700 homes. More than 130 people were reported missing, according to the United Nations.
Heavy rainfall and flooding have also led to tragedies in other parts of the country.
Last month, at least 21 people were killed and several went missing a day after a landslide in North Kivu province.
In December, at least 169 people were killed by the rain in the capital Kinshasa.
Ongoing crises
The floods add to an ongoing humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC following decades of violence by multiple armed groups.
According to a recent United Nations count, the region has been ravaged by fighting by at least 122 rebel groups for more than 25 years. As a result, millions of people have been displaced, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a June report. The DRC is home to more than 5.5 million internally displaced persons, the third highest number in the world. A million other Congolese have also fled the country.
Multiple reports put food shortages at the highest level ever recorded with 27 million people – a third of the country’s population – going hungry.