A landslide caused by heavy rains in Kalehe territory, South Kivu province, eastern Congo, has claimed the lives of at least 10 people, most of them children, and left three others injured, according to a civil society group on Saturday.
Delphin Birimbi, president of the Kalehe civil society group, reported that several houses were swept away and 31 others were damaged. He noted that the death toll remains provisional as assessments continue.
Eight of the victims were children, and the heavy downpour also destroyed food plantations in the area. Birimbi urged authorities and humanitarian organizations to respond swiftly to minimize further damage.
Kalehe is frequently hit by disasters linked to climate change, resulting in repeated destruction of property and loss of lives. In April, at least 12 people died in the area when a ravine collapsed due to heavy rains.
Separately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently reported that flooding from rising water levels in Lake Albert has affected 55,000 people in eastern Ituri province, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to climate-related disasters.