At least 12 dead, 92 missing after river overflows in North Kivu, DR Congo
At least 12 people have died and another 92 are missing after heavy rains caused Bihambwe river to overflow its banks and flood two villages in Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.
Julien Paluku, the governor of the affected province, said Wednesday that the provisional toll after heavy rain hit the villages of Bihambwe and Matanda in Masisi Territory is 12 dead, 18 injured and 92 missing.
A resident of Bihambwe told reporters that the rain started in the afternoon, forcing those coming back from the fields to take shelter in homes near the river. "The flooding caught them by surprise," he said.
Most of the victims were farmers whose fields bordered the Bihambwe river which passes the two villages that lie about 50 km (31 miles) northwest of Goma, the regional capital, PressTV reported.
The administrator of Masisi Territory said that emergency teams had been dispatched to Bihambwe to search for the missing.
Featured image: The landscape of North Kivu, DR Congo. Credit: © MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti
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