At least 60 people have been killed after a landslide swept through a fishing village on the banks of Lake Albert in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The landslide in the village of Tora of Ituri province was triggered on Wednesday by heavy rain in recent weeks, officials said.

Pacifique Keta, deputy governor of Ituri province, told AFP news agency on Thursday that part of a mountain engulfed "a fisherman's camp after heavy rains caused a landslide".

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According to the governor's office and hospital officials, five people have been rescued while efforts were under way with hundreds of other villagers missing.

A doctor at the Tshomia Hospital, Herve Isamba, told AFP they were treating four people.

The affected village is located between a mountainous area and Lake Albert.

Congo is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, with about 7.7 million people on the verge of starvation, according to UN food agencies.

The incident comes after more than 400 people were killed by a massive mudslide in Sierra Leone on Monday.

In May 2010, a mudslide swept over the eastern Congo village of Kibiriga and killed 19 people. Bodies of 27 others were never recovered.

In February 2002, about 50 people were found dead after a wave of mud and rocks hit the eastern town of Uvira, submerging about 150 homes.</s>BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo (AFP) - A landslide in a fishing village on the banks of a lake in the north-east Democratic Republic of Congo, has killed 40 people, a regional official said on Thursday (Aug 17).

Part of a mountain engulfed "a fisherman's camp after heavy rains caused a landslide", the deputy governor of Ituri province, Mr Pacifique Keta, said.

He added that 40 people were killed in the disaster in the village of Tora, on the banks of Lake Albert on Wednesday.

The news comes on the heels of devastating floods in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown on Monday that killed some 300 people.

"Yesterday (Aug 16), we buried 28 bodies and today we will bury 12 more," said Mr Keta.

A doctor at the nearby Tshomia hospital, Dr Herve Isamba, said they were treating four people injured in the landslide.

Mr Keta said two people were also killed on Wednesday when an illegal mine flooded in the nearby Walendu Piti area.

The vast country has experienced a number of previous such disasters.

In May 2010, a mudslide that swept over the eastern village of Kibiriga killed 19 people. The bodies of 27 others were never recovered.

In February 2002, about 50 people were found dead after a wave of mud and rocks hit the eastern town of Uvira, submerging about 150 homes.

Fishing on Lake Albert is one of the main occupations in Ituri, which borders Uganda.

The province, rich in gold deposits, saw several outbreaks of violence during the Second Congo War between 1998 and 2003.

That ended with the aid of a French-led international military intervention.</s>A landslide has swept over a fishing village on the banks of a lake in the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 40 people, a regional official said today. Part of a mountain engulfed “a fisherman’s camp after heavy rains caused a landslide” the deputy governor of Ituri province, Pacifique Keta, told AFP.

He said 40 people were killed in the disaster in the village of Tora on the banks of Lake Albert on Wednesday. It follows devastating floods in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown on Monday that killed some 300 people.

“Yesterday, we buried 28 bodies and today we will bury 12 more,” said Keta.

A doctor at the nearby Tshomia hospital, Herve Isamba, said they were treating four people injured in the landslide. The vast country has experienced a number of previous such disasters. In May 2010, a mudslide that swept over the eastern village of Kibiriga killed 19 people: the bodies of 27 others were never recovered.

In February 2002, about 50 people were found dead after a wave of mud and rocks hit the eastern town of Uvira, submerging about 150 homes. Fishing on Lake Albert is one of the main occupations in Ituri, which borders Uganda. The province, rich in gold deposits, saw several outbreaks of violence during the Second Congo War between 1998 and 2003. That ended with the aid of a French-led international military intervention.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>Authorities in northeastern Congo say at least 40 people are dead after a mudslide in Ituri province.

Gov. Abdallah Pene Mbaka said Thursday that teams are being sent to assess the damage in the village of Tora. The disaster followed heavy rains in the fishing community along Lake Albert.

Jean-Bosco Lalu, who leads civil society groups in the nearby regional hub of Bunia, says 30 bodies have been recovered and the toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue.

Many people die each year in Congo as the result of poorly regulated development. People often built their homes near mines and bodies of water, only to become vulnerable to disasters caused by soil erosion and flooding.
A landslide in a village along Lake Albert in the Democratic Republic of the Congo leaves at least 60 dead.