West African countries, including the DR Congo, are susceptible to devastating landslides as a growing demand for residential properties force communities to crowd hillsides.
Large scale deforestation, occurring in regions throughout the country, incurs significant adverse soil erosion, heightening the threat of slope failure.
[3] A mountainside situated on the western banks of Lake Albert collapsed on 16 August, triggering a landslide which impacted the fishing village of Tora.
The following day, the province's deputy governor Pacifique Keta announced the death toll had risen to 200 and 50 properties were completely submerged.
Following the landslide in Tora, search and rescue teams from the Red Cross of the DR Congo recovered 44 bodies from the disaster area in the first day.