Scores killed in Congo volcano landslide
A
landslide on the slopes of a volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo has killed 46 people and washed away more than 200 homes, the
U.N. peacekeeping mission said on Wednesday.
The landslide, on
the slopes of Nyrangongo volcano at Kibumba, in north Kivu province
where the army is trying to oust Rwandan Hutu rebels, was triggered
when rivers overflowed at the volcanic peak at the weekend, following
heavy rains.
“The record so far
is 46 people feared dead and more than 200 houses washed away,” said
Madnodje Mounoubai, spokesman for the U.N. mission MONUC, which has
recovered 14 bodies and is assisting in the rescue effort.
The volcano, which
overlooks the provincial capital Goma, is one of two active volcanoes
that have regularly erupted and spewed lava in recent years, killing
scores in 2002.
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