About 30 people have died in flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa after heavy weekend rains destroyed homes, blocked roads, and disrupted essential services, authorities said on Sunday.
“The death toll is provisional, but so far there are around thirty dead,” provincial health minister Patricien Gongo Abakazi told Reuters.
The Ndjili River burst its banks late Friday, flooding parts of the city of 17 million, cutting off the main national road and leaving drivers stranded overnight.
“On the way home from the airport last night to welcome a friend, we spent the night in the car because there was no safe place to park,” said local resident Patricia Mikonga.
The flooding knocked out power in several neighborhoods, while residents in Makala district reported a water supply cutoff. Governor Daniel Bumba Lubaki said water would be restored within two to three days and blamed illegal housing for some of the fatalities, vowing to evict residents of unplanned settlements.
Hydrologist Dr. Raphael Tshimanga Muamba linked the disaster to environmental degradation caused by human activity, noting that the river’s capacity to contain floods had diminished over time.
The disaster hits as Congo faces instability in the east, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have intensified attacks. Over 7,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far this year.