Almost 100 People Killed By Floods, Landslides In DRC Capital Of Kinshasa - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2022) Nearly 100 people have died as a result of floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, local media reported on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Kinshasa police chief Sylvano Kasongo reported 50 deaths, noting that this was not the final figure.

Congolese Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde said that local authorities were still searching for more bodies in Kinshasa, home to over 12 million people, according to the Actualite news outlet. A total of 24 neighborhoods were affected by floods, the report said.

The death toll could still rise, it added.

The municipalities of Ngaliema and Selembao suffered the most from the disaster, with at least 30 deaths reported in each area.

Many houses were also destroyed by the floods in Kinshasa, while the main national highway linking the capital with the seaport of Matadi was blocked, according to the news portal.

Kinshasa has proved highly vulnerable to flash floods after heavy rains, which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change, as a result of the poor regulation of the country's rapid urbanization.