More than 5,500 people are still missing in an area in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where floods have killed more than 400 people in the past week, a local official said on Tuesday, as distraught survivors waited for food aid.
Dozens of bodies have been recovered from Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages in Kalehe territory in South Kivu province since torrential rains caused landslides and flash floods on Thursday, destroying buildings and devastating crops.
Mass graves were dug over the weekend to hold the dead, many of whom were women and children, prompting complaints from some civil society groups who said the burials were undignified.
Red Cross workers sounded the alarm over a lack of supplies and equipment to help more than 8,800 affected residents, many homeless and traumatized after one of the deadliest natural disasters in Congo’s recent history.
Kalehe administrator Thomas Bakenga Zirimwabagabo said on Tuesday that 411 bodies had been found so far and that at least 5,525 people were still missing.
A government delegation arrived in the region late on Monday and was supposed to bring food and tents to the survivors. Many are living with relatives or in public buildings, leading to overcrowding.
Floods are the latest major disaster in Africa, highlighting the vulnerability of countries with poor urban planning and weak infrastructure to the impacts of climate change.
(Reporting by Djaffar Sabiti)
Source: CNN Brasil
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