A landslide triggered by heavy overnight rainfall in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 13 people and left more than 30 others missing, local authorities said on Tuesday.
The landslide struck at around 1 a.m. in the village of Burutsi in North Kivu province, while residents were asleep. Witnesses said hours of intense rain caused an entire hillside to collapse onto the village, destroying homes and cutting off the main road linking the regional hub of Goma with the provincial capital, Walikale.
“Nature struck with devastating force, and the whole hillside came down on Burutsi while people were sleeping,” said Descarte Akilimali, the local sector chief, speaking to The Associated Press.
Local officials said they have appealed to the government for urgent assistance, but rescue efforts have been hampered by the closure of the road to Goma, limiting access for emergency services and heavy equipment.
The disaster comes as eastern Congo continues to grapple with long-running insecurity and a deepening humanitarian crisis. The region has been plagued for decades by fighting between government forces and numerous armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose renewed offensive has intensified violence in recent months.
Walikale, near the affected area, was seized by M23 rebels during an offensive last year and remains unstable. More than 100 armed groups are active in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the Rwandan border, fuelling one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with more than seven million people displaced, according to officials.
Earlier this year, M23 fighters captured the key eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu, marking a major escalation in the conflict.
