Flooding, landslides kill 400 villagers in eastern DRC

Nearly 400 villagers were killed in flooding and landslides brought by torrential rains in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said Theo Ngwabije Kasi, the governor of South Kivu province, on Monday, reported Xinhua.

According to the latest official report, the bodies of the victims have been mostly found in Bushushu and Nyamukubi, two villages hard hit by flooding caused by heavy rains.

On Sunday, a central government delegation arrived in Bukavu, the capital of the province, en route to support rescue operations on the ground, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya.

The DRC government also declared May 8 a day of national mourning to honor the victims of the disaster.

Since last week, heavy rains have been reported in this part of the country where landslides regularly claim the lives of residents during rainy periods.

Over the past week, more than 780 households were left homeless following the floods that hit Uvira territory in South Kivu province, and more than 600 houses were destroyed, according to the authorities of the province.