Four days after heavy rains that caused floods and landslides in South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the toll has risen sharply. At least 394 people died, according to a new report communicated Sunday, May 7 by an administrative official.
This official, Thomas Bakenga, administrator of the territory of Kalehe, in which the affected villages are located, had reported Saturday at least 203 dead. “We are now at more than 390 bodies found. 142 in Bushushu, 132 in Nyamukubi and 120 have just been found floating on Lake Kivu” at the level of the island of Idjwi, he declared in the afternoon, adding:
“Since Thursday, we find bodies every minute and we bury them. »
A provisional official report advanced Friday evening by the authorities of the province of South Kivu evoked at least 176 dead. Several villages were submerged, many houses swept away, fields devastated, when rivers came out of their beds under the effect of torrential rains.
“Acceleration of climate change”
On the spot, the victims lack everything. According to Mr. Bakenga, “The provincial government gave assistance: a boat full of food (beans, flour), tarpaulins, medicines…”.
At the end of Friday’s Council of Ministers, Kinshasa announced the dispatch of a “Government mission to support the provincial government in the management of this disaster”. He declared a day of national mourning on Monday. Doctors Without Borders also reported dispatching an emergency team to the scene on Saturday.
The disaster came two days after floods that killed at least 131 people and destroyed thousands of homes in neighboring Rwanda. The head of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stressed on Saturday, during a visit to Burundi, that it was“a new illustration of an acceleration of climate change and its dramatic consequences for countries that are not involved in global warming” of the planet.