Landslide Leaves Twenty-Eight People Dead in DR Congo
The disaster unfolded Tuesday morning in Burutsi village, situated within Walikale territory of North Kivu province, following prolonged torrential downpours. The saturated hillside collapsed catastrophically, unleashing a torrent of mud and debris that consumed the settlement and entombed dozens of residential structures.
Descarte Akilimali, Burutsi's sector chief, described the catastrophe to media, stating that "nature acted terribly, and the entire hillside collapsed into the village of Burutsi while... people were asleep."
Recovery efforts extended through Thursday, with community members assisting authorities in extracting bodies from beneath the wreckage. Displaced families, now homeless, have been relocated temporarily to local educational facilities.
Regional authorities reported requesting emergency aid from the national government, though relief efforts face severe obstacles due to the blocked Goma-Walikale highway. Security concerns persist following M23 rebel forces' seizure of Walikale last year, with continued hostilities destabilizing the territory.
An administrative representative informed media that fatalities reached 19 by Wednesday, with one additional victim succumbing to injuries after hospital transfer. Updated figures place the death toll at 28, with five bodies remaining unidentified according to regional media. Authorities verified that 17 homes were completely submerged during the hillside's collapse.
Such mudslides constitute a persistent danger throughout eastern DR Congo, especially in the elevated terrain of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where sustained rainfall, forest degradation, and unregulated construction heighten risk factors.
Recent years have witnessed numerous comparable tragedies across this zone. November 2024 saw at least ten fatalities, including minors, when rainfall-induced mudslides struck Kalehe territory in South Kivu province, devastating multiple residences.
May 2023's flash flooding and landslides surrounding Lake Kivu resulted in over 390 deaths, marking one of the nation's most catastrophic natural disasters in contemporary times.
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