Over 100 feared dead after landslide in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Over a hundred people are feared to have died after a landslide swept through the village of Tora on the shores of Lake Albert in Ituri Province in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday 16 August 2017. The event happened after several days of heavy rain in the area, when a section of hillside collapsed onto the village. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather, 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.

The approximate location of the 16 August 2017 Tora landslide. Google Maps.

Ituri Province lies slightly to the north of the Equator, and has a climate that is wet for most of the year, though August is the rainiest month, typically receiving about 400 mm of precipitation. Landslides are common in the area, due to a combination of high rainfall, soil with a high content of volcanic ash (which tends to make it more friable) and frequent seismic activity, with the situation made worse by unregulated mining and deforestation, both of which tend to destabilise hillslopes.

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Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake under Lake Albert in central Africa.

A Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake occurred at a depth of 30.8 km beneath Lake Albert, which forms part of the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, slightly after 10.30 am local time (slightly after 7.30 am, GMT), on Monday 5 August 2013, according to the United States Geological Survey. There are no reports of any damage or casualties, but people have reported feeling the quake on the Ugandan side of the lake as far away as Kampala.

The approximate location of the 5 August 2013 Lake Albert Earthquake. Google Maps.

Lake Albert forms part of the of the Great Rift Valley, which is slowly splitting the African Plate in two allow a line from the Red Sea through Ethiopia, and which includes the great lakes and volcanoes of east-central Africa. This has the potential to open into a new ocean over the next few tens of millions of years, splitting Africa into two new, smaller, continents; Nubia to the west and Somalia to the east.

See also Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake beneath Lake Albert, Magnitude 4.2 Earthquake in Mozambique, Earthquake off the coast of Mozambique and Earthquake shakes Lake Turkana in Kenya.

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Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake beneath Lake Albert.

A Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km beneath Lake Albert, which forms part of the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, slightly after 4.30 pm local time (slightly after 1.30 pm, GMT), on Tuesday 2 July 2013, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake was felt on both sides of the lake, with more severe shaking recorded on the Congolese side, though the only damage recorded was on the Ugandan side, where a number of traditionally-built mud structures were damaged. There are no reports of any casualties.

The location of the 2 July 2013 Lake Albert quake. Google Maps.

Lake Albert forms part of the of the Great Rift Valley, which is slowly splitting the African Plate in two allow a line from the Red Sea through Ethiopia, and which includes the great lakes and volcanoes of east-central Africa. This has the potential to open into a new ocean over the next few tens of millions of years, splitting Africa into two new, smaller, continents; Nubia to the west and Somalia to the east.

See also Amnesty International reports on the mining industry in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, At least 20 miners killed in North Kivu mine collapse, Magnitude 4.2 Earthquake in Mozambique, Earthquake shakes Lake Turkana in Kenya and Eruptions on Mount Nyamuragira in the Virunga National Park, November 2011.

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