Tragedy marks rainy season as region faces new recovery costs
Residents wade through water after their homes were swamped following floods triggered by heavy rains Rwanda’s Rubavu district on May 3, 2023. PHOTO | JEAN BIZIMANA | REUTERS
At least 176 people died in flash floods in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a regional governor said on Friday, as heavy rain destroyed buildings and forced aid workers to gather mud-clad corpses into piles.
The rainfall in Kalehe territory in South Kivu Province caused rivers to overflow on Thursday, inundating the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi. South Kivu Governor Théo Ngwabidje Kasi put the death toll at 176 and said that others were still missing. A local civil society member, Kasole Martin, said 227 bodies had been found.
