Twenty one people have now been confirmed dead, with one person being treated for injuries at a health clinic and several more missing, following a landslide in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday 2 April 2023. The deceased are described as women and young children from the village of Bollowa near the town of Masisi. The women were washing cloths in a river close to the village, accompanied by small children, when the landslide hit. The event is believed to have been caused by several days of heavy rain, associated with the bi-annual rainy season. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.
North Kivu Province two Rainy Seasons per year, with a rainy season that runs from March to June and another than lasts from September to December. Such a double Rainy Season is common close to the equator, where the Sun is highest overhead around the equinoxes and lowest on the horizons around the solstices, making the solstices the coolest part of the year and the equinoxes the hottest.
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