DR Congo: Floods in capital Kinshasa kill nearly 40

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Nearly 40 people died after floods caused by heavy rains on Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, authorities said.

Preliminary assessment showed that 39 lives were lost, houses were washed away, and several properties were damaged, Neron Mbungu, the Kinshasa province’s vice governor, told reporters, adding that rescue workers continue searching for bodies.

“In the commune of Lemba, we saw erosion, overflows of water, floods, several families are outside. We saw more than 10 bodies in the Mbanza Lemba and Livulu neighborhoods,” he added.

According to Mbungu, several roads leading to the city were cut off by floods, while in Ngaliema a woman died with her child.

Landslides triggered by the heavy downpour also cut off the University of Kinshasa.

Mbungu said wherever bodies were found, mayors were provided means to transport them to the morgue, while the injured were taken to medical centers for treatment.

Kinshasa is a city of about 12 million people.

“If the housing units were decent, we would not have experienced disasters like this,” Daniel Mbau, a member of Parliament, said after visiting Lemba commune.