A landslide incident caused by heavy rains in an area of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), last Sunday, caused the death of at least 22 people, according to local civil society
The tragedy occurred in the municipalities of Bitanga, Bigombe and Mazozo, located in the territory of Mwenga, in the province of South Kivu.
“Nine more bodies were discovered the day before yesterday [Segunda-feira] in the afternoon in the rubble and mud, after torrential rains caused major landslides in Bitanga, Bigombe and Mazozo,” Hypocrite Marume, president of civil society in the territory, told EFE over the phone.
“For now, we have this provisional balance of 22 (deaths) discovered”, highlighted Marume, specifying that these landslides were also caused by the flooding of a river.
“Everything was swept away by the river, several houses collapsed and vehicles were submerged. It was precisely from this rubble that these bodies were removed,” he explained.
In addition to local residents, most of whom lost their homes, other victims are artisanal miners, who were caught in the landslides after taking shelter in a shed while it rained.
In recent weeks, South Kivu has been hit by heavy rains, which have caused personal and material damage. Two weeks ago, at least 15 people died in Bukavu, the provincial capital, due to heavy rains that devastated the city of more than a million inhabitants.
As a result of the torrential rains, several infrastructures were damaged, bridges were washed away and many houses were damaged, which provoked public outrage at the inaction of local authorities.