Eastern DRC: Landslide leaves 8 people dead

A landslide has crushed at least eight people and seriously injured nine others near an artisanal mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said.

The wounded are in critical condition and receiving treatment at a local health facility, the administrator of Fizi territory in South Kivu Province, Aime Kawaya Mutipula, said by phone on Sunday.

Landslides are relatively common in the hilly slopes of eastern Congo, where heavy rains can saturate and loosen the soil. But they are more likely to occur if the soil has been disturbed by mining, tree-felling, or construction.

In December, intense rains in DRC capital Kinshasa caused flooding and landslides that killed around 170 people.