In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 200 people were killed by flash floods and land slides.
The authorities have reported that many more missing people in South Kivo province.
Thomas Bakenge (administrator of Kalehe), the most affected territory, said to reporters that 203 bodies have been recovered.
Rescue workers and survivors searched through the rubble of the village to find more bodies.
Anuarite Zikujuwa, a survivor who is grieving, said that she lost her entire family including her in-laws as well as many neighbours.
“The entire village has become a wasteland.” She said, “There are only stones left and we cannot even tell where the land used to be.”
“We have nothing”
Michake Ntamana is a rescue worker who helps to search for the dead and bury them. She said that the villagers are trying to collect and identify the bodies they have found.
He said that some bodies washed from villages higher up the hills are being buried using only leaves.
He said, “It is truly sad that we don’t have anything else.”
On Thursday, rivers in Kalehe near the shores Lake Kivu broke their banks.
According to Associated Press, one survivor said that the flash floods were so sudden and unexpected that everyone was caught off guard.
The South Kivu Governor Theo Ngwabidje inspected the area and saw the destruction first-hand.
He tweeted that the provincial government has dispatched food, medical and shelter supplies.
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Rains have rendered several main roads in the affected area impassable, causing relief efforts to be hampered.
The President Felix Tshisekedi declared Monday a day of national mourning to honor the victims. A crisis management team is being sent by the central government to South Kivu in order to assist the provincial government.
In recent days, heavy rains have impacted eastern Africa. This includes parts of Kenya and Uganda.
In Rwanda, which borders Congo earlier this week, 129 people were killed by flooding and landslides.
Local government official Mr Bakenge stated: “This is now the fourth time the same rivers have caused such damage.” They cause enormous damage every 10 years.
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