At least 19 people were killed in a landslide in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) on Sunday, according to residents and local officials.
The disaster occurred at the end of the morning in the village of Bulwa, in Masisi, territory of the province of North Kivu, according to Chadrack Mbukanirwa Ndibanja, one of the village chiefs. He said at least 19 people were killed in the landslide and that the search for other victims was to continue on Monday.
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Alphonse Mushesha Mihingano, a local administrator, confirmed this initial assessment, while emphasizing that it was provisional. About 25 mothers, accompanied by their children, were doing their laundry in a stream at the foot of a mountain when the landslide occurred, burying some of them, he added.
Musafiri Balume, a resident of Bulwa, said he lost a sister in the landslide that occurred during heavy rains.