More than 400 people die due to Congo floods

More than 400 people died as the Congo floods and landslides rocked the country last week as rescue personnel and family members searched through wreckage and muck for dead and survivors, The New York Times reported citing the government.

Heavy rains caused rivers to overrun their banks, causing water and sludge to rush into villages and sweep away homes on Thursday. According to The New York Times, the flood affected the Kalehe Territory in South Kivu, notably the Bushushu and Nyamukubi settlements.

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.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, floods and landslides have forced over 3000 families to flee their homes, which have been damaged or destroyed.
According to the United Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, up to 1200 dwellings were entirely destroyed. On Monday, Congo commemorated a day of sorrow for the flood fatalities.

According to rescuers, residents from the region had come to the region prior to the flood to sell their agricultural products at a market there, making it difficult to tally the entire number of missing, The New York Times said. On Monday, bodies were still being extracted from the rubble.