72 bodies found in Congo village hit by floods

Humanitarian workers have recovered at least 72 bodies from a village in east Democratic Republic of Congo hit by flooding on Thursday, a Reuters reporter at the scene said on Friday.

Torrential rain that fell in Congo's South Kivu province and caused a river to overflow led to significant damage and loss of life in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi, the provincial government said in a statement on Thursday without providing a death toll.

A Reuters reporter in Bushushu saw humanitarian workers recovering bodies from the debris on Friday and counted at least 72 bodies, many of whom were women and children.

Local administrator Thomas Bakenga said on Thursday night that at least 17 people had been killed in the floods and that around 40 people were missing.