Floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo left dozens dead this Tuesday (13) after heavy rains in the capital Kinshasa. The local police chief said at least 55 had died. The Associated Press news agency already speaks of around 100 dead.
The floods also caused damage to urban infrastructure and blocked access to important streets in the city of around 17 million inhabitants. Damage was mainly observed in areas with steep slopes and precarious housing.
Among the victims are nine people from the same family, who died after the house collapsed and who lived in the Ngaliema neighbourhood, west of the capital. “We tried to drain the water and thought there was no more danger when we went to sleep, but shortly afterwards a wall collapsed,” another relative told the AFP agency.
Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde told reporters that the search was continuing and that the biggest problem was the collapse of houses, accelerated by the landslide after the rain.
Streams and Kinshasa’s sewer system overflowed, causing several streets to flood. The same occurred in the neighborhood of Gombe, in the north of the capital, which, in addition to residential buildings, houses many embassies.
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