(MENAFN) Authorities in the eastern South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed that at least 62 people died and another 50 are still missing after severe flooding ravaged villages along Lake Tanganyika.

The disaster struck the village of Kasaba in the Ngandja sector around 5 a.m. local time (0300GMT) on Friday. Witnesses reported that sudden, powerful waters inundated the area after torrential rains, destroying homes and disrupting communication lines.

Theophile Walulika Muzaliwa, the health minister for South Kivu province, informed a news agency via telephone that the ongoing search and rescue operations are facing significant obstacles.

Muzaliwa stated, "Sector chiefs, village chiefs and locality chiefs, who are also members of the local government, are on site. The only humanitarian organization currently present is the Red Cross. It is not possible to give an assessment as body searches are continuing."

This flooding event follows similar heavy rainfall that resulted in the deaths of 33 people in Kinshasa, the nation's capital, just weeks prior. The country's infrastructure has suffered extensive damage in recent months, and the humanitarian response is further strained by ongoing conflict in the area.

Increased clashes between government forces and armed groups since February have worsened what the United Nations has described as one of the globe's most severe humanitarian crises.

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