The accident happened in the rural and mining territory of Mwenga, where local people sheltered from heavy rains under a hangar serving as a makeshift restaurant on the banks of a river.
“The heavy rains triggered a landslide” according to Alexandre Ngandu, the deputy mayor of Kamituga, a major town in the eastern South Kivu region. The torrential rains also caused considerable property damage.
Experts say extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change.
In May, in the Kalehe territory of the South Kivu province, at least 438 bodies were found in areas hit by flooding caused by heavy rains. Local authorities also estimate that more than 5,000 people went missing.