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DR Congo Mourns 400 Killed in Flash Floods

As of Wednesday, devastating floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in the South Kivu province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reportedly took the lives of over 400 people.
Sputnik
On May 8, the DRC observed a day of national mourning, with flags lowered "at half mast in memory of the compatriots who died in the floods."
Earlier, a central government mission was sent to South Kivu to support the provincial authorities "in the management of this disaster."
According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the situation in the area" is very difficult. There was massive destruction of houses and fields, as well as the loss of many cattle. The population urgently needs shelter, basic necessities and food."
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Residents of Nyamukubi stand, astonishedly looking at the rubble left in the wake of heavy flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s east, on May 6, 2023. Heavy downpours in the Kalehe region of South Kivu province on Thursday caused rivers to overflow, triggering landslides that engulfed the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.

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Mourners grieve over their dead and missing loved ones after heavy flooding in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 6, 2023. 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.

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This aerial photograph taken on May 8, 2023, shows a landslide that engulfed the village of Nyamukubi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The death toll from the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the country’s east has risen to nearly 400, an official said on May 7, 2023.

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Congolese Red Cross volunteers carry a body retrieved from the mud in Bushushu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s east, on May 8, 2023. The death toll from the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall there has risen to nearly 400, an official said on May 7, 2023

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Family members and residents of the two villages affected by the floods look up at the damage caused by the disaster in Nyamukubi, in the DR Congo’s east, on May 8, 2023. The death toll from the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the east of the country has risen to nearly 400, an official said on May 7, 2023.

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Residents continue to search homes for family members who disappeared during the Nyamukubi floods in the DR Congo’s east on May 8, 2023. The death toll from the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the east of the country has risen to nearly 400, an official said on May 7, 2023.

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An elderly woman tends to an injured woman, hospitalized after heavy flooding in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 6, 2023. Heavy rainfall in the Kalehe region of South Kivu province on Thursday caused rivers to overflow, triggering landslides that engulfed the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.

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This aerial photograph taken on May 8, 2023 shows a landslide that engulfed Nyamukubi village, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The death toll from the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the east of the country has risen to nearly 400, an official said on May 7, 2023.

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A general view of destroyed houses and shops in Nyamukubi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's east, on May 6, 2023. Heavy rainfall in the Kalehe region of South Kivu province on Thursday caused rivers to overflow, sparking landslides that engulfed the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.

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Gentille Ndangikimana, 27, helps the Red Cross search for the bodies of people after the floods in Nyamukubi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s east, on May 8, 2023. Gentille, a resident of a village a few kilometers from Nyamukubi, came to look for her four relatives who disappeared during the floods while they were heading to the market in Nyamukubi. After a long search, the Red Cross integrated her into their team to support them. The death toll from the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the country’s east has risen to nearly 400, an official said on May 7, 2023.