Congo flood victims buried en masse as death toll rises above 400
Hello InformationWar platform! It's a beautiful day to share with you happenings around Africa and today's post will concentrate on the recent flood that have ravaged some parts of Democratic Republic of Congo and the number of casualties. Good evening!
It's another period of the year when rainfalls that causes flood is coming down. Many regions across Africa that suffered flooding should take measures that'll help reduce the effects on the people and environment.
Dead bodies were still being recovered on Monday from two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where floods killed more than 400 people last week in one of the country's deadliest disasters in recent history.
Survivors looked on as humanitarian workers piled corpses into freshly dug mass graves over the weekend, in videos posted online.
The workers have spent days recovering mud-caked bodies from the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi, both in South Kivu province, where days of torrential rain triggered landslides and caused rivers to break their banks on Thursday.
According to an eye witness who rescued his only son but lost his aunt and sister, they saw houses being collapsed from a distance and fled their houses. He further said the flood came in form of a tremor.
Just over 400 people are now confirmed dead, South Kivu governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi said earlier on Monday, more than doubling the toll since Friday.
According to a Civil society group, hundreds of people are yet to be found and uncounted for since the incident began on Friday. According to them, bodies of many buried in wreckage are found floating on top of water.
Over 8,800 others have been impacted by the floods, which swept away homes and schools and cut off roads, it said. Destroyed sewage systems and bodies lying in debris are raising concerns about sanitation, it said.
Families have been separated and traumatised survivors are taking refuge in other people's homes, the Red Cross added.
The Red Cross said that about 274 people have been buried already with about 98 women and 82 children inclusive.
A man who lost his children said that he went to the market and that probably he might have been able to rescue his children. Truth be told, it's an unforseen circumstance and no one should blame him or herself for the incident.
I think this is a wake up call for governments of other countries to put up measures of navigating through the up coming heavy rainfall that might cause flooding in areas that are prone to flooding.
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/death-toll-congo-floods-rises-401-governor-2023-05-08/