Survivors walk among rubble next to destroyed buildings in Nyamukubi, South Kivu province. (Photo: AP)
On May 9, aid workers found more bodies in the mud. In addition, many seriously injured people have died in the context of the lack of medicine and equipment in local medical facilities.
Flooding in the remote mountainous region of South Kivu province in eastern Congo devastated the riverside villages of Nyamukubi and Bushushu five days ago, razing homes, destroying crops and killing more than 400 people.
It is considered the worst natural disaster in recent Congolese history. The devastating scale of these floods and landslides has highlighted the vulnerability of people to climate change in many parts of Africa.
In Nyamukubi, the entire neighborhood was crushed by rocks. Homeless people crammed into a few intact public buildings with poor sanitation.
The Red Cross believes that more than 8,000 people in Eastern Congo are in need of assistance. Aid efforts are currently struggling due to lack of access and resources.
"We cannot handle so many bodies urgently. We are searching for bodies with spades, by hand," said John Kashinzwe Kibekenge, spokesman for the Red Cross in South Kivu province.
According to local authorities, more than 5,500 people have yet to be found.
The Red Cross in South Kivu Province delivered blankets, food and coffins to Nyamukubi on May 9, raising money for a local clinic where three people died on the same day and giving around $1,100 each. families out of 200 affected families.