At least 100 people killed by floods in capital of Congo
Africa
By
AP
| Dec 14, 2022
At least 100 people have been killed and dozens injured on Tuesday by widespread floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Congo's capital, Kinshasa.
Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde said officials were still searching for more bodies.
"We came to assess the damage and the primary damage we see is human," Lukonde said on state television Tuesday.
Some 12 million people live in the 24 neighborhoods of Kinshasa hit by the floods, according to three local officials who told The Associated Press that people were killed, houses submerged and roads ruined.
In the Ngaliema area more than three dozen people died and bodies are still being counted, said the area's mayor, Alid'or Tshibanda. In another part of town five members from one family were killed, some by electrocution.
READ MORE
DR Congo, M23 fighters trade accusations over ceasefire
Angola proposes new DR Congo ceasefire
South Africa to withdraw troops from UN mission in DR Congo
Kipyegon among super-fast stars invited for Sirikwa Classic XC tour
Deadly landslide strikes M23 held mining site in DRC
DR Congo city residents forced to adapt during year of M23 rule
South Korean ex-PM Han gets 23 years jail for martial law role
Uhuru warns against fragmented peace talks for eastern DRC
In east DR Congo, minors face systematic risk of sexual violence
"It is a just calamity," said Pierrot Mantuela. The 30-year-old lost his mother, nine-year-old daughter and three brothers. "It's sad to lose all the members of my family," he said. He was spared because he was working Monday night when the rains began, he said.
Officials said much of the destruction happened in houses built on plots without official permission. "They have no documents. They are chased away but they always come back," said Dieumerci Mayibazilwanga, the mayor of Mont-Ngafula, of people building unauthorized houses.
In 2019, flooding and landslides killed at least 32 in and around Kinshasa.