Authorities say 287 people have died and 167 are missing after heavy rains burst riverbanks in South Kivu province.
followed by number of deaths floods and landslides In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number rose to at least 287 this week, according to the government of South Kivu province in the eastern part of the central African country.
A further 205 people have been seriously injured and 167 are still missing in floods when the river burst its banks following Thursday’s heavy rains.
President Felix Tshisekedi will declare a national day of mourning on Monday and a team of ministers will go to the region to coordinate humanitarian aid and disaster management, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. rice field.
The current rainy season typical of South Kivu is expected to last until the end of May.
The disaster in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo comes two days after floods killed at least 131 people and destroyed thousands of homes in neighboring Rwanda across Lake Kivu.
On Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres offered his condolences to the victims of the “devastating floods” in both countries.
“This is yet another example of accelerating climate change and its disastrous effects on countries that are doing nothing to contribute to global warming,” he said during a visit to Burundi.
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, experts say.
Last month, about 20 people were killed in landslides caused by torrential rains in North Kivu, which borders South Kivu.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a vast country the size of the western European continent, one of the poorest countries in the world, and plagued by conflict in the east.
