Flooding in DR Congo leaves at least 12 dead

At least 12 people died and 92 were missing after heavy rains caused flooding in two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said on Wednesday.

"The provisional toll after torrential rain hit the villages of Bihambwe and Matanda in Masisi Territory is 12 dead, 18 injured and 92 missing," said Julien Paluku, governor of Nord Kivu province, where the villages are located.

The rain started on Tuesday, causing a river to flood, local residents said.

"The rain began in the afternoon, forcing those coming back from the fields to take shelter in homes near the river. The flooding caught them by surprise," said Joseph Ndabita, a resident of Bihambwe.

He said he had counted "10 bodies and (seen) others being swept away by the strong current towards the river."

"The water which came down from the mountains has caused damage," said Safari Ayobangira, a local MP.

The administrator of Masisi territory in eastern Congo's North Kivu province, Dieudonne Tshishiku, said emergency teams had been dispatched to the town of Bihambwe to search for the missing. 

Most of the victims were farmers whose fields bordered the Bihambwe river which passes the two villages that lie about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Goma, the regional capital.

The vast country has experienced several natural disasters caused by torrential rain.

In mid August, at least 150 people died when a massive mudslide devastated Tara, a fishing village on the shores of Lake Albert near the country's northeastern border with Uganda.