NGANDJA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Torrential rains triggered catastrophic flooding along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in eastern Congo on Friday, sweeping away entire villages and killing at least 62 people, with 50 others still missing, authorities said Saturday.
The flooding struck at around 5 a.m. local time, submerging the lakeside village of Kasaba in South Kivu province’s Ngandja sector, according to local witnesses. The sudden deluge caught residents off guard as water rushed through homes and farmlands, leaving devastation in its wake.
Théophile Walulika Muzaliwa, South Kivu’s provincial health minister, said ongoing search-and-rescue efforts were being severely hampered by destroyed infrastructure and a breakdown in communications.
“Sector chiefs, village chiefs and locality chiefs—who also serve as members of the local government—are on site, but the only humanitarian organization currently responding is the Red Cross,” Muzaliwa told reporters by phone. “It is not possible to provide a full assessment yet, as body searches are still underway.”
Local officials said dozens of bodies had been recovered but warned that the death toll could rise significantly as teams continue to search for victims. Survivors described being jolted awake by the sound of rushing water and fleeing for higher ground in the early morning darkness.
Friday’s flooding is the latest disaster to strike the crisis-weary region. In April, deadly floods in the capital, Kinshasa, killed 33 people. Eastern Congo has long been plagued by instability, and ongoing violence between government forces and armed rebel groups has escalated since February, further complicating humanitarian response efforts.
The area is part of one of the world’s most prolonged and complex humanitarian emergencies, with millions of people displaced and facing chronic shortages of food, shelter, and basic medical care. Aid agencies say the flooding is likely to exacerbate already dire conditions in South Kivu, where infrastructure is limited and emergency services are stretched thin.
