The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is encountering widespread flooding. The death toll has surpassed 200 and is now nearly 400, the local officials in the eastern part of the country confirmed.
Heavy rains have been pounding several parts of the country since last Thursday, triggering landslides and flooding in various parts of Congo.
DR Congo Flood Death Toll Approaches 400
Residents of Nyamukubi walk through the rubble after heavy flooding in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, May 6, 2023. - Heavy rainfall in the Kalehe region of South Kivu province on Thursday caused rivers to overflow, causing landslides that engulfed the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi. The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to nearly 400, an official said on Sunday.
As per a report by the Associated Press, one of the local authorities of the heavily battered area, Kalehe of South Kivu, spoke with the news outlet about the current situation.
Administrator Thomas Bakenge reveals that the flooding has killed nearly 400 lives. As of this writing, they have officially recovered 394 bodies. He notes that the searchers found some corpses floating in Lake Kivu.
AP News notes that more than the authorities have already buried more than 300 casualties amid the search. According to a youth political activist, Valet Chebujongo, four mass graves have buried roughly 170 bodies, noting that they did not have any coffins.
Heavy rains have been pounding several parts of the country since last week, causing rivers to burst their banks and severe flooding.
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Search in Congo Floods Continues
TOPSHOT - This aerial photograph taken on May 6, 2023 shows a landslide that engulfed Nyamukubi village, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Although the death toll is fast approaching the 400 mark, the authorities are still searching for victims of the extreme flooding, BBC reports. To look for corpses amid the ongoing flooding, some people are digging through mud to find the bodies of their loved ones who have been missing since the heavy floods struck.
The flooding ended up submerging half of the buildings in mud. Meanwhile, the flash floods in the region swept away smaller wooden structures. International organizations, including the United Nations and the Red Cross, have already extended a helping hand to assist those affected by the floods in Central Africa.
Sad to say, DR Congo is one of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world, according to Aljazeera. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has extended his condolences to the casualties of the widespread flooding in Congo and the Republic of Rwanda.
In his recent visit to Burundi, the UN Secretary-General highlighted that the recent flooding "is yet another illustration of accelerating climate change." It shows the "disastrous impact" of the climate crisis on "countries that have done nothing to contribute to global warming," Guterres says.
Aljazeera notes that climate experts have warned of heightened frequency and intensity of extreme weather as a consequence of climate change. The flooding in eastern Congo began three days ago. However, the death tolls continue to rise.
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