At Least 200 Dead, Several Still Missing As Flash Floods, Landslides Wreak Havoc In Congo

Congo Floods: Heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow leading to landslides and flash floods, the death toll reached 200 while rescue workers and survivors dug through the ruins looking for bodies.

Nearly 200 people died as a result of flash floods and landslides in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with many more still missing in South Kivu. Heavy rainfall in Kalehe territory in South Kivu province caused rivers to overflow on Thursday, inundating hundreds of homes in Bushushu and Nyamukubi. Rescue workers and survivors had to dig through the ruins on Saturday, looking for bodies. At the scene, Thomas Bakenge, administrator of Kalehe, the worst-hit territory, told reporters on the scene that 203 bodies had been recovered so far, and further efforts are underway, reported the Associated Press. Villagers wept as they gathered around some of the bodies recovered so far, which lay on the grass covered in muddy clothes near a rescue workers' post.

Authorities have reported scores of people injured. A doctor in Kalehe territory's main hospital, Robert Masamba, said injured survivors had been streaming in since Thursday evening.

"My team and I have not slept. We have received 56 patients, 80% of which have fractures," he told Reuters.

On Thursday, rivers broke their banks in villages in the territory of Kalehe, close to the shores of Lake Kivu. One of the survivors told AP, that the flash flood occurred so fast that it took everyone by surprise. 

Grieving survivor Anuarite Zikujuwa said she had lost her entire family, including her in-laws, as well as many of her neighbours. “The whole village has been turned into a wasteland. There’s only stones left and we can’t even tell where our land once was,” she told AP.

Several main roads to the affected area were almost impassable by the rains, hampering the relief efforts.

A rescue worker, Michake Ntamana, told AP that villagers were trying to identify and collect the bodies of loved ones found so far. He said further that some of the bodies washed down from villages higher in the hills were being buried shrouded in just the leaves of the trees. 

“It’s truly sad because we have nothing else here,” Ntamana said.

Heavy rains in recent days have brought misery to thousands in East Africa, with parts of Uganda and Kenya also seeing heavy rainfall. Flooding and landslides in Rwanda, which borders Congo, left 129 people dead earlier this week and destroyed over 5000 homes. 

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has declared a national day of mourning on Monday to honour the victims, reported AP.