By Faridat Salifu
At least 22 lives were tragically lost on Tuesday as heavy rainfall triggered devastating landslides across the central Democratic Republic of Congo.
The downpours, which persisted from overnight Monday into Tuesday, led to destructive mudslides in Kananga, the capital of the Kasai-Central region.
Heartbreaking reports from regional authorities revealed the extent of the losses, with families caught in the path of the rampaging earth.
Among the casualties, a mother and her eight children perished in one collapsed home, while another landslide claimed the lives of a father and four young children.
This recent tragedy compounds the nation’s woes, following a fatal flooding incident on Sunday in the eastern South Kivu region, where approximately 20 individuals were swept away by a surging river.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, while abundant in mineral wealth, continues to grapple with poverty and underdevelopment, exacerbating the vulnerability of its communities to natural disasters.
Weak infrastructure and inadequate construction practices further compound the challenges faced by the affected regions.