On 16 August 2017, severe flooding caused a mountainside to collapse, triggering a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

which affected a fishing village in the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

's (DR Congo)

Ituri province Ituri is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Orientale province. Ituri was ...

. The disaster killed at least 200 people. Much of the damage is attributed to poorly regulated housing in vulnerable mountainous regions and heavy

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...

Events

Heavy rainfall impacted the

in the eastern

(DR Congo) on the night of 15 August 2017. West African countries, including the DR Congo, are susceptible to devastating

s as a growing demand for residential properties force communities to crowd hillsides. Large scale

, occurring in regions throughout the country, incurs significant adverse

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, a ...

, heightening the threat of

slope failure Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environment ...

. A mountainside situated on the western banks of Lake Albert collapsed on 16 August, triggering a landslide which impacted the fishing village of Tora. Initial estimates reported about 40 people were killed by the disaster with as many as 200 others missing. The following day, the province's deputy governor Pacifique Keta announced the death toll had risen to 200 and 50 properties were completely submerged. Four other victims were treated for injuries at Tshomia Hospital. Deputy governor Keta declared a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

and appealed to the international community for support with relief efforts. Following the landslide in Tora, search and rescue teams from the Red Cross of the DR Congo recovered 44 bodies from the disaster area in the first day. Persistent rainfall disrupted recovery missions, as did the region's topography. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

(UN) sent a humanitarian team to evacuate survivors and assess the damage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DR Congo landslide 2017 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Landslides in 2017 Natural disasters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo August 2017 events in Africa