Forty people have been killed in a landslide in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Pacifique Keta, the vice governor of Ituri province, said on Thursday.
Reuters said seismic and volcanic activity have been responsible for a number of landslides in the region in recent years.
The governor’s office and hospital officials said five people have been rescued while efforts were underway with hundreds of other villagers missing.
NAN reports that DRC 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 from a massive mudslide in Sierra Leone on Monday.
In May 2010, a mudslide swept over the eastern DRC 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.
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