WORLD
15 killed in Congo flooding, with toll expected to rise
A local official said Friday that flooding and landslides caused by severe overnight rains in eastern Congo’s South Kivu region killed more than a dozen people. Rescue attempts were ongoing.
Delphin Birimbi, a community leader in Kalehe, South Kivu, reported 15 deaths in his hamlet and over 30 missing in Bushushu and Nyamukubi. He worries that more bodies will increase the death toll.
Birimbi reported two rivers breached their banks after heavy rains on Thursday evening, causing many landslides and dozens of home destruction.
Rescuers are searching for people buried in their homes.
The South Kivu province government sent a delegation to the area on Friday and expressed its condolences to the families.
East Africa’s massive rains have devastated Uganda and Kenya.
Rwanda, which borders Congo, had 129 deaths from flooding and landslides this week.