Kinshasa: As many as 141 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa following floods and landslides caused by heavy rains from late Monday till early Tuesday.
According to a statement from the Kinshasa Provincial Ministry of Public Health, the heavy rains caused the death of 141 people, while 38,787 households had been flooded and about 280 houses collapsed, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
It is reported in the media that entire neighbourhoods were flooded with muddy water, and houses and roads ripped apart by sinkholes, including the N1 highway that connects Kinshasa to the chief sea port of Matadi.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that the N1 could be closed for 3-4 days, reports Reuters.
Images posted on Twitter by Congo’s government spokesman Patrick Muyaya showed a major road that appeared to have subsided into a deep chasm, with crowds staring at the damage.
#RDC : Plusieurs dizaines de compatriotes ont perdu la vie, des dégâts matériels importants. Avec le gouverneur de la ville, les ministres et d’autres responsables, le PM @LukondeSama est sur terrain pour faire l’évaluation générale, un bilan global suivra au terme de sa tournée. pic.twitter.com/8ddHof4agP
— Patrick Muyaya (@PatrickMuyaya) December 13, 2022
“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.
