In a tragic turn of events, severe flooding triggered by relentless rains has devastated several lakeside communities in eastern Congo, killing at least 62 people and leaving 50 others unaccounted for.
The catastrophe unfolded early last week-end when floodwaters surged into the village of Kasaba along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, sweeping away homes and infrastructure in the Ngandja sector. Residents, awakened by the chaos, described a harrowing scene as entire structures were consumed in moments by the raging waters.
Provincial health authorities, grappling with the scale of destruction, confirmed on Saturday that response efforts were being severely impeded. Théophile Walulika Muzaliwa, South Kivu’s health minister, noted that widespread damage to communications infrastructure and the limited presence of emergency services have hindered rescue operations. With the Red Cross as the sole humanitarian body on the ground and local government leaders coordinating in affected areas, the full extent of the loss remains unclear as body retrieval and search efforts continue.
This latest disaster follows a similar episode last month in Kinshasa, where flooding claimed 33 lives, underscoring a disturbing pattern of environmental vulnerability in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The situation is compounded by ongoing conflict in the eastern provinces, where fighting between government forces and rebel groups has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. With lives lost, livelihoods destroyed, and emergency responses stretched thin, the flooding in South Kivu is yet another blow to an already fragile region.