Follow Us on Google
At least eight people were killed on Thursday when heavy rains caused a landslide in eastern Congo, a local official said.
The city’s mayor, Bilpa Ulengabo, said that the landslide occurred in the early hours of Thursday in the city of Bukavu in South Kivu province.
Ulengabo, however, added that search operation for survivors and bodies was ongoing, with the death toll likely to increase.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), Congo and some countries in East Africa, including Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Kenya have been hit by unusually heavy rainfall and flooding.
“More than 2.8 million people have now been affected and more than 280 have reportedly died.
“The rainfall has been driven by a weather phenomenon known as the positive Indian Ocean Dipole.
“It is expected to diminish in the coming weeks, but heavy rains are likely to persist into December and to intensify,” UN-OCHA said. (dpa/NAN)
