DR Congo – Many Feared Missing After Landslide in North Kivu

More tragedy has struck in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, this time in North Kivu Province where dozens of workers at a mining site are feared buried after a landslide on 08 May 2023.

Screenshot of a video of the landslide near the city of Rubaya in Masisi Territory in North Kivu Province, DR Congo, 08 May 2023

The landslide occurred at the Songambele mine near the city of Rubaya in Masisi Territory in North Kivu Province, early on 08 May 2023.

Local media reported one hundred workers were thought to be at the site, and many were feared buried under the rubble. Videos shared on Social Media showed huge parts of the hillside above the mine crashing onto workers below.

During a press briefing on 08 May, the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, said provisional assessments suggest six people had died. Search operations are ongoing.

Twenty people died in a landslide in Masisi territory on 02 April 2023.

Over 30 people lost their lives in landslides in the towns of Rubaya and Bihambwe in November 2022.

In the neighbouring province of South Kivu, over 3,000 families lost their homes after catastrophic floods on 04 May 2023. The number of fatalities rises daily and as of 09 May, stood at over 400.

Social Media