Over 100 people have died after flooding in a village near the shores of Lake Tanganyika in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a local officia said.
Flooding in the village of Kasaba occurs at a critical time for the Central African nation. Since the beginning of the year, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have strengthened their offensive in the eastern region, resulting in hundreds of deaths in the first two months.
Samy Kalodji, the administrator of Fizi territory in South Kivu province, where the hamlet is located, stated late Saturday that information from the area “indicated more than 100 deaths.” The affected area remains under Kinshasa’s authority and is not one of the zones taken over by M23.
According to Didier Luganywa, spokesperson for the South Kivu administration, the flooding occurred between Thursday night and Friday, when torrential rains and strong winds caused the Kasaba River to burst its banks.
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The statement gave a toll of 62 confirmed deaths with 30 injured. Local officials said the Kasaba area was only accessible via Lake Tanganyika and was not covered by the mobile phone network, which could delay humanitarian relief efforts.
