4 miners die, others missing in Eastern Congo’s landslide
A landslide in eastern Congo, caused by heavy rains, killed at least four people and left at least 20 more missing, according to a local authority.
Deputy Mayor Alexandre Ngandu Kamundala, explained that the landslide occurred near the town of Kamituga in South Kivu province.
He added that 25 people, mostly miners, were sheltering from the rains in a cabin when the landslide swept them into a fast flowing river below on Sunday.
Five people narrowly escaped and 20 others were swept away by the waters. Four lifeless bodies were found as rescue efforts to recover other bodies continue.
Deadly accidents are popular in Congo’s many unregulated mines, with many going unreported due to their remote locations in hills and forests.
In 2020, no fewer than 50 people in the same town of Kamituga died in a landslide that hit their gold mine site.
Experts say extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change.
DR Congo, a vast nation the size of continental western Europe, is one of the poorest countries in the world, riddled by corruption and conflict in its east.
