Over 100 Dead as Torrential Floods Devastate Villages in DR Congo’s South Kivu Province

Heavy overnight floods triggered by torrential rains have devastated several villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leaving at least 100 people dead, Al Jazeera reports.

The floods, which struck on the night of Thursday into Friday, washed away homes and caused significant destruction in the Kasaba village in South Kivu province, an area already suffering from war and mass displacement.

The floods were caused by the Kasaba River bursting its banks, sending torrents of water through the village, which carried large stones, trees, and mud, obliterating everything in its path, including homes along the lake’s edge. Regional official Bernard Akili told AFP that most of the victims were children and elderly residents. In addition to the fatalities, 28 people were reported injured, and around 150 homes were destroyed.

Sammy Kalonji, the regional administrator, confirmed the death toll of at least 104 people, describing the situation as one of “enormous material damage.” South Kivu’s provincial health minister, Theophile Walulika Muzaliwa, said that rescue efforts have been severely hampered by the destruction of infrastructure, including phone lines, making communication and coordination difficult. At present, the only humanitarian organization on the ground is the Red Cross.

Local residents reported finding as many as 119 bodies by Saturday. The region is no stranger to such natural disasters, with frequent floods in the east of the country, particularly along the shores of the Great Lakes. The area’s vulnerability has been worsened by deforestation, which weakens the surrounding hills and contributes to landslides and flooding. In 2023, similar floods claimed 400 lives in communities on the shores of Lake Kivu, while flooding in the capital, Kinshasa, last month killed 33 people.

The disaster comes at a time when the DRC is already grappling with ongoing conflict in its eastern provinces. Armed groups, including the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda, have been fighting government forces for years, and the situation escalated dramatically in January 2024 when M23 forces captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in a surprise offensive. The conflict has led to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with over 7 million people displaced and nearly 3,000 killed during the Goma offensive.