After severe flooding and landslides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the death toll has risen to at least 182. Théo Ngwabidje, the governor of the affected province of South Kivu in eastern Congo, confirmed this to the German Press Agency on Saturday morning. However, the number of victims is likely to increase significantly in the coming days.
Already on Friday, President Félix Tshisekedi announced national mourning for Monday. In addition, according to government spokesman Patrick Muyaya, a team of ministers is to travel to the region to coordinate humanitarian aid and disaster management.
Floods in the South Kivu region are not uncommon, especially during the two rainy seasons of the year. The current rainy season ends this month. In the neighboring countries of Rwanda and Uganda, there have recently been major floods with fatalities. At least 127 people died in Rwanda and at least 6 in Uganda.
