Congo landslide kills at least 15 people and up to 60 others are missing, officials say

A landslide in southwest Congo caused by heavy rains killed at least 15 people and left as many as 60 others missing, local officials said Sunday.

Seven people were found alive after the landslide Saturday near the port near the town of Idiofa.

"There's a hill above the port, and the rain caused the earth on the hill to collapse," a local deputy elected official, Dhedhe Mupasa, told reporters Sunday.

Interim provincial Gov. Félicien Kiway told reporters a team was dispatched to help search for survivors and seven people were found alive and were hospitalized. A further 60 people were still missing, he said.

A local official said it was difficult to determine the exact number of people missing because the area was used as a marketplace every Saturday. The official described the area as a port where fishermen came to sell fish and buy soap.