Heavy rains have hit the Kalehe region since Thursday (4), flooding rivers and causing landslides in DR CongoAFP
Published on 5/7/2023 4:22 PM
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Bukavu Floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in eastern DRC have left nearly 400 dead, according to a tally released this Sunday (7). The number could increase if more bodies are found.
“We found more than 390 bodies,” said Thomas Bakenga, administrator of the Kalehe Territory, where the affected sites are located on the shores of Lake Kivu on the border with Rwanda.
Intense rains hit the Kalehe region in South Kivu province since Thursday (4), causing river flooding and landslides that devastated the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.
The death toll is increasing rapidly. The day before, Bakenga announced that there had been at least 203 deaths. “We’ve been finding and burying bodies every minute since Thursday,” he added.
A slope also collapsed at Nyamukubi. A trade fair took place on the site on Thursday, Bakenga explained.
“It feels like the end of the world. I am looking for my parents and my children,” exclaimed Gentille Ndagijima, 27.
The young woman lost her two children, her two sisters and her parents. Her husband was injured and is in the hospital.
“I have no family and no home. Now I have to find a place to sleep,” he said.
At least 132 bodies were found in that village, the regional administrator reported. Another 142 in Bushushu and 120 floating in Lake Kivu near Idjwi Island.
One of the largest countries in Africa and one of the poorest in the world, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is plagued by corruption and violence in the eastern part.
national mourning
Homeless people need everything. Bakenga said “the provincial government sent a boat full of food, tarpaulin and medicine.”
However, the panorama remains bleak. Whole villages are flooded, houses destroyed and fields devastated.
The central government declared a day of national mourning on Monday (8th).
Roger Bahavu, another sufferer in Nyamukubi, told AFP he lost his entire family.
“I’m a driver. I came home from work, parked my motorcycle at home and went out to visit my friends. When I came back, my house, motorcycle and family members were gone,” he said.
Isaac Habamungu, a member of the local Red Cross, said there were many bodies. “We’re flooded,” he warned.
“We believe that many bodies ended up in the lake (…) We are wondering how to settle this,” he added, explaining that he has neither body bags nor financial means for his activities.
The disaster came two days after floods killed at least 131 people and destroyed thousands of homes in neighboring Rwanda.
Visiting Burundi on Saturday, UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres said the tragedies were a new “show of the acceleration of climate change and its dramatic consequences for countries not responsible for warming the planet.”
Experts claim that extreme weather phenomena are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
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