More than 400 people have died after floods and landslides hit Congo last week as rescue workers and family members searched through debris and mud for victims and survivors of the disaster, The New York Times reported citing the government.
The flooding began on Thursday after heavy rains pushed rivers to overflow their banks, leading to water and mud flowing into villages and washing away homes. The flood hit the Kalehe Territory in South Kivu and particularly the Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages, The New York Times reported. Remy Kasindi, a representative for a civil society group in South Kivu said, “The situation is catastrophic,” as per The New York Times report. Kasindi further said, “It’s a humanitarian crisis that troubles our consciences.” He further said that survivors were looking for their family members in the mud and some bodies were pulled from nearby Lake Kivu.
The United Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that nearly 3000 families were left homeless by floods and landslides as their houses were damaged and destroyed, as per the news report.
As many as 1200 homes were completely razed, the United Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. A day of mourning for the victims of the flooding was observed in Congo on Monday.
According to rescuers, people from the region before the flood had travelled to the region to sell their agricultural products at a market there, making it harder to count the total number of the missing, The New York Times reported. Bodies were still being pulled out of the rubble on Monday.