UPDATE - DR Congo mourns as floods' death toll climbs to 141

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, OTHER DETAILS, REVISES HEADLINE AND DECK

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Democratic Republic of Congo Wednesday began three days of national mourning after 141 people died in the latest deadly floods in the capital Kinshasa.

The provincial Public Health Ministry Tuesday issued a new toll from floods triggered by heavy downpours, which pounded the country Monday overnight, revising it upward from an earlier figure of about 50 dead.

The ministry said 38,787 households were flooded and 280 houses destroyed by landslides in various neighborhoods and municipalities of the city.

Among the deceased are nine members of the same family, including young children, whose house collapsed in Kinshasa's Ngaliema commune, local leaders said.

President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi, currently in Washington for Tuesday’s US-Africa summit, held a meeting with some government ministers about the floods.

“The Head of State decided to decree a three-day national mourning from Wednesday and to shorten his stay in the USA, to return to Kinshasa on Thursday, after his meeting with President Joe Biden,” the presidency said.

Provincial Governor Gentiny Ngobila said the government will assume responsibility for the funerals.

The government has also ordered the demolition of dilapidated structures at certain sites, mostly in valleys.

Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, leading a government team to assess the damage, said the exact death toll would be established after a comprehensive assessment.

In 2019, floods triggered by torrential rains killed at least 39 people in Kinshasa.