Mon 08 May 2023:
The death toll from floods and landslides in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to to at least 401, according to Theo Ngwabidje Kasi, governor of South Kivu province in the east of the central African country.
“Deaths from floods and landslides continue to increase and 300 bodies have now been recovered,” said Thomas Bakenga, the administrator of Kalehe territory in South Kivu province, where the affected areas are located.
On Saturday, 270 bodies had been recovered.
Thomas Bakenga, the administrator of Kalehe territory in South Kivu province said burials of victims in the two most affected villages began yesterday. He said that so far, 142 bodies have been buried in Bushushu village and 132 in Nyamukubi village while 26 are yet to be buried.
Heavy rains fell on Thursday and Friday in Kalehe, causing the Cibira/Cabondo and Nyamukubi rivers to overflow, which led to flooding in villages and the destruction of homes as well as landslides.
President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday declared a day of national mourning and a team of ministers is set to travel to the region to coordinate humanitarian aid and disaster management, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said.
The current rainy season, typical for the South Kivu region, is expected to last until the end of May.
The disaster in Eastern DR Congo came two days after floods killed at least 131 people and destroyed thousands of homes in neighbouring Rwanda, which lies on the other side of Lake Kivu.
On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences to the victims of the “catastrophic floods” in both countries.
“This is yet another illustration of accelerating climate change and its disastrous impact on countries that have done nothing to contribute to global warming,” he said during a visit to Burundi.
DR Congo, a vast nation the size of continental western Europe, is one of the poorest countries in the world, riddled by conflict in its east.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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