The heavy floods after torrential rains in the east of the Congo swept several villages along the banks of the Tanganical Lake, leaving at least 62 dead and 50 missing, authorities said on Saturday.
The witnesses described that the floods emerged around 5 am local time on Friday and swept the town of Kasaba on the edge of the lake in the Ngandja sector.
The Provincial Health Minister of Southern Kivu, Théophile Walulika Muzaliwa, said by telephone that the rescue operation was hindered by the lack of services and a closure of telephone lines due to floods.
“The heads of the sector, the chiefs of the village and the local heads, who are also members of the local government, are in the site. The only humanitarian organization currently present is the Red Cross. It is not possible to give a continuous evaluation.”
Last month, floods in the capital, Kinshasa, killed 33 people.
Decades of struggle between government and rebel troops in the east of Congo intensified in February, leading to what is already one of the world’s humanitarian crises.
