At least 15 lives were claimed by landslides that struck Bukavu, the city serving as the capital of South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local reports on Monday.
The severe downpours unleashed devastation as landslides buried multiple houses in the area. Albert Migabo Nyagaza, the chief of the Ndedere district, revealed to the media that a father, along with his five children and two grandchildren, were tragically buried when their home was engulfed by the earth. The landslide occurred around midnight on Sunday, Nyagaza confirmed.
Witnesses described the harrowing event, with local resident Medo Igunzi Munene recalling, “We heard a deafening noise, much like thunder,” recounting the collapse of a house onto another where eight individuals were sleeping.
Similar tragic circumstances unfolded in the neighboring Panzi district, resulting in the loss of at least seven lives due to landslides.
This catastrophe adds to a series of landslides and building collapses that have afflicted Bukavu throughout the year. Originally designed for an approximate population of 100,000 by Belgian settlers, the overcrowded city on the southern shores of Lake Kivu now houses around two million residents. However, due to the absence of a proper census, accurately determining the population remains challenging.
In October, the United Nations underscored that a record 6.9 million people had been internally displaced in the DRC, attributing this displacement to a combination of conflict, insecurity, floods, and landslides.