UN to deliver aid to thousands left homeless by deadly tornado in western DR of Congo

United Nations relief workers are steadily making their way across the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where thousands of families have been left stranded and homeless in the wake of a deadly tornado.

The team, dispatched last Friday, is on its way to Bandudu province following Government reports that last week's devastating tornado left close to 1,700 families homeless, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). There have been reports of many dead or missing, but the exact numbers remain unconfirmed. Some 2,500 people are believed to have been injured.

The humanitarian mission, with field expertise and supplies provided by a range of UN agencies - including the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - is in the process of delivering 33 tons of food and 40 tons of seeds and tools to the affected population in the town of Yumbi, some 300 kilometres north-east of Kinshasa.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is in the process of delivering 23 tons of emergency kits and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is providing financial assistance to lay the groundwork for the intervention.