Democratic Republic of the Congo.. 21 people were killed by landslides and floods

At least 21 people have been killed in the past two days in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains, according to government and security sources on Saturday.

Most of the victims (at least 13) fell on Friday in an irregular gold mine in the city of Rubaya, province of Masisi (North Kivu).

“The dead are ‘diggers’ who were in the shafts and people who were in their vicinity,” Jean-Paul Barendikiyi, an official at an informal miners’ association, told AFP.

He confirmed that “others are still buried underground and the search for them continues.”

In the center of Rubaya, some houses collapsed on Saturday due to heavy rains that hit the city.

Police confirmed that five people were killed as a result of this disaster, while a resident said the dead were a mother and her four children.

In Behambwe district, about five kilometers from Ruppaya, “three people, members of the same family, were swept away by the river”, according to the police.