Floods kill at least 120 in DR Congo capital Kinshasa
Kinshasa, The Gulf Observer: Worst floods in years batter Democratic Republic of Congo main city following an all-night downpour, with government announcing three days of national mourning.
At least 120 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) capital Kinshasa after heavy rains unleashed floods and caused landslides, a government document seen by the Reuters news agency showed.
Entire neighbourhoods were flooded with muddy water, and houses and roads were ripped apart by sinkholes on Tuesday, including the N1 highway that connects Kinshasa to the chief seaport of Matadi.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that the N1 could be closed for 3-4 days.
The General Management of Migration, a part of the Interior Ministry compiled the death toll.
Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda told Reuters the ministry had counted 141 dead but that the number needed to be cross-checked with other departments.
Images posted on Twitter by DRC’s government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya showed a major road that appeared to have subsided into a deep chasm, with crowds staring at the damage.
“On the National Road 1, there is a big hole. Only pedestrians can pass. We do not understand how the water cut the road,” said local resident Gabriel Mbikolo.
