Heshima winces in pain as he tries to shift his weight, sweat beading on his face. The slight 13-year-old sits on a bed in a tent in the grounds of an overcrowded hospital in Goma city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Heshima’s left leg is a bandaged stump, his stomach is streaked with burn marks, and both of his parents have been killed.
A relative, Tantine, tells us who is to blame: M23 rebels – backed by Rwanda and battling the Congolese army, known as the FARDC. The rebels now control the two largest cities in this mineral-rich area, which borders Rwanda.
“It was a Sunday,” she says. “There was fighting between them and the FARDC. They dropped the bomb, and I lost six members of my family.”
US pauses immigration applications for migrants from Ukraine and Latin Americapublished at 13:56
Edited by Dulcie Lee, Sam Hancock and Neil Connor, with Adrian Harms reporting from the scene
The first sinkhole opened right in front of Noosh Miri’s home.
She and her family are now in temporary accommodation, after having to evacuate in the space of 10 minutes.
She said she and her neighbours believe the holes have been caused by the area’s geology.
“Godstone is a really old village, but it’s also built on caves,” she said.
“It’s also a place that gets a massive amount of traffic, with heavy-loaded lorries. You often get the rattles in the house as they’re driving through.
Live Reporting
The original hole first appeared in Godstone High Street late on Monday night, growing to at least 65ft (20m) long by Tuesday lunchtime
Dramatic images show extent of the damage
