Deadly floods and landslides hit Bukavu, DRC
Image credit: NASA Terra/MODIS, The Watchers. Acquired on December 6, 2023
Recent torrential rains in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, have triggered landslides, resulting in at least 15 fatalities and significant property damage.
The city of Bukavu, located in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the capital of South Kivu Province, has been struck by a devastating natural disaster. In the past few days, the region has experienced torrential rainfall, leading to landslides with catastrophic consequences. According to local sources, at least 15 people have tragically lost their lives due to these landslides.
The Bukavu commune of Ibanda, characterized by many makeshift houses, bore the brunt of this disaster. A local official, Jean Balek Mugabo, mayor of the commune, informed Reuters that the victims were all from this area. The houses, not built to withstand such extreme weather conditions, collapsed under the heavy rain. Mugabo also mentioned that the death toll might increase as several victims are currently hospitalized with serious injuries.
In a particularly heartbreaking incident, a family in the Ndedere District of the city suffered a devastating loss. Albert Migabo Nyagaza, the neighborhood chief, reported that a father, his five children, and two grandchildren were buried by a landslide that destroyed their house. This tragic event occurred around midnight, catching the victims off guard.
The situation in Bukavu is further complicated by the city’s history and demographics. Originally designed for approximately 100 000 residents by Belgian settlers, Bukavu now houses around two million inhabitants. However, the exact population is difficult to ascertain due to the lack of a census. This overcrowding, coupled with poor infrastructure, makes the city particularly vulnerable to natural disasters like floods.
A catastrophic flood hit the same province in May 2023, claiming the lives of over 400 people.
References:
1 Torrential rains kill at least 14 in city in east Congo – Reuters – December 11, 2023
2 Congo Landslide: 14 Killed As Torrential Rains Batter Bukavu City – India – December 11, 2023
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- Flying glass cut a teacher in Russia but none of her 44 pupils, because when a meteor flashed across the sky in 2013, she told them to get under their desks Epicenter
- A South Dakota man put the widest and heaviest hailstone on US record in his freezer, and a power cut melted part of it before NOAA measured it at 8 inches across and nearly 2 pounds in 2010 Epicenter
- Black kites and brown falcons in northern Australia have been seen snatching smoldering sticks from wildfires, flying them into unburned grass and dropping them, starting new fires that send lizards, rodents and insects running straight toward the waiting birds Epicenter
- A levee protecting a highway north of San Francisco is pocked with animal burrows and only 3 feet wide in places, and a report warns this winter's El Niño could push water over the top Epicenter
