At least 33 die in floods in Democratic Republic of Congo

At least 33 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in floods that have limited access to more than half of the country’s capital, Kinshasa.

Ten deaths were confirmed on Sunday evening, adding to the 23 people already known to have died, the country’s interior minister Jacquemin Shabani said on state television.

Most of the deaths were down to walls that collapsed under the deluge after heavy rains, which began last week and caused the Ndjili River to overflow on Friday, leaving hundreds of buildings under water, officials said on Sunday.

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While the situation had improved by Monday morning, some access roads remained blocked, and traffic was limited while authorities hurried to evacuate and support those trapped indoors by rising waters.

The main road to the airport, which also links Kinshasa to the rest of the country, was damaged by the flooding but will be open to all vehicles within 72 hours, Kinshasa governor Daniel Bumba said over the weekend.

Access to drinking water has been affected in at least 16 communes, the interior ministry said in a statement.

At least four emergency shelters have been set up to help hundreds of displaced families across the city, the ministry said.

Many residents blamed the government for not responding quickly enough to the disaster.

Marie Nzola, one of those whose property was destroyed, said: “We lost everything and left everything behind. The rain caught us by surprise late at night.”

Clement Matwidi said: “Everything is lost due to the floods (and) we are here waiting for the government’s decision.”

In 2022, at least 100 people were killed during similar flooding in Kinshasa.

The Congolese government is already battling a humanitarian disaster in the east of the huge country, where decades of fighting with rebels escalated in February, worsening what is already one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

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