The death toll from floods and landslides in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to nearly 400, an administrative official said Sunday.
At least 394 bodies have been recovered after last week’s floods, said Thomas Bakenga, administrator of Kalehe territory where the affected villages are located.
He had announced a toll of at least 203 people on Saturday.
Heavy rainfall in the Kalehe region of South Kivu province on Thursday caused rivers to overflow, causing landslides that engulfed the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.
The hillside also gave way at Nyamukubi, where the weekly market was held on Thursday, Bakenga has previously said.
“We now have more than 390 bodies recovered,” he told AFP on Sunday by telephone.
He added that 142 bodies were discovered at Bushushu, 132 at Nyamukubi and 120 had been found floating on Lake Kivu around Idjwi, an island in the middle of the large volcanic lake.
“Since Thursday we’ve been finding bodies every minute and we are burying them,” Bakenga said.
The provincial government has sent a boat filled with beans, flour, and other food, tarpaulins and medicine, he said.
In all, several villages were submerged, many houses washed away, and fields devastated, when rivers in the region burst their banks due to the heavy rains.
On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences to the victims of the “catastrophic floods” in Rwanda and DR Congo.
“This is yet another illustration of accelerating climate change and its disastrous impact on countries that have done nothing to contribute to global warming,” he said during a visit to Burundi.
Experts say extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change.