A local official reported on Friday that rescue efforts were underway following flooding and landslides caused by torrential overnight rains in South Kivu province in eastern Congo, which have already claimed more than a dozen lives.

Delphin Birimbi, a community leader in Kalehe, South Kivu, said that 15 people had died in his village, and more than 30 were missing in nearby areas of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.

Birimbi fears the death toll will rise as more bodies are recovered, and scores of homes have been destroyed by the landslides that have accompanied the heavy rain, the Associated Press reported.

Rescuers are working to find and save any individuals who may be trapped under the rubble of their homes.

This follows heavy rainfall across East Africa, with parts of Uganda and Kenya also affected.

In neighboring Rwanda, 129 people died earlier this week following flooding and landslides.

The provincial government of South Kivu expressed its condolences to the affected families in a statement released on Friday, announcing that it was sending a delegation to the scene.

Written by staff