{"id":43658,"date":"2023-05-16T06:23:29","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T06:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/landslideblog\/?p=43658"},"modified":"2023-05-16T06:23:29","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T06:23:29","slug":"lake-kivu-landslides-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/landslideblog\/2023\/05\/16\/lake-kivu-landslides-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Planet images of the Lake Kivu landslides in the DRC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planet images of the Lake Kivu landslides in the DRC<\/h4>\n

Planet<\/a> has been able to collect a set of SkySat images of the Lake Kivu landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)<\/a>.\u00a0 This is an image of the area around Chabondo, which was hit by multiple channelised debris flows:-<\/p>\n

\"Planet

Planet<\/a> SkySat image of the Lake Kivu landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This image shows the area around Chabondo. Image copyright Planet<\/a>, used with permission.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

For reference, this is a Google Earth image of the same location, captured in 2019:-<\/p>\n

\"Google

Google Earth image from 2019 showing the site of the Lake Kivu landslides at Chabondo.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

This is a classic set of channelised debris flows that have flowed across the debris fan upon which the houses were built.\u00a0 The location was clearly high risk, and indeed there is an earlier debris flow track in the 2019 image.\u00a0 The Planet image shows that any building in the path of the landslides was destroyed.<\/p>\n

The image below shows the track of these landslides, which have travelled several kilometres.\u00a0 The form is complex, with multiple sources and, in one case, connection between the major flows:<\/p>\n

\"Planet

Planet<\/a> SkySat image of the Lake Kivu landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This image shows the area upstream of Chabondo. Image copyright Planet<\/a>, used with permission.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

The image illustrates the extreme power of the landslides.<\/p>\n

Planet has also captured a high quality image of the landslides at Nyabibwe:-<\/p>\n

\"Planet

Planet<\/a> SkySat image of the Lake Kivu landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This image shows the area around Nyabibwe. Image copyright Planet<\/a>, used with permission.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

Once again, this is a Google Earth image for reference, from 2018:-<\/p>\n

\"Google

Google Earth image from 2019 showing the site of the Lake Kivu landslides at Nyabibwe.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

The devastation to a large number of houses is painfully clear.<\/p>\n

CNN reported on 11 May 2023 that the death toll from these events was at least 438 people<\/a>, but that 1,000 more were missing. Other reports suggest a higher toll, but are unlikely to be correct. Meanwhile, a further landslide occurred at Vuveyi Lac in North Kivu on 9 May 2023, killing 10 people<\/a>.\u00a0 There were also reports of a landslide at the Songambele mine, near Rubaya in North Kivu, killing at least six people.\u00a0 Some reports suggest that over 100 people may have been killed<\/a>.\u00a0 Videos have posted to Twitter that allegedly show this event<\/a> (I am unsure as to whether this is indeed the landslide), and the true picture remains very unclear:-<\/p>\n

\n

#URGENT<\/a>: Quand l'inondation de Kalehe est en cours. Plusieurs sources locales \u00e0 Bisunzu, pr\u00e8s de Rubaya indiquent qu'un \u00e9boulement de terre a touch\u00e9 cette r\u00e9gion ce lundi 08 mai. Le bilan n'est pas encore connu mais c'est pr\u00e8s d'une dizaine de creuseurs artisanaux. #RDC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tmhdZXQ6bc<\/a><\/p>\n

— Akilimali S. Chomachoma (@akilimalichoma_) May 8, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n