36 Die In DR Congo Flooding, Landslides Disaster

By Bimbo Ogunnaike with agency report

Thirty six people died in the DR Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, after overnight torrential rains, with some swept away by landslides, a top city official said Tuesday, giving a provisional toll.

“The (provincial) interior minister has just advised of a toll of 36 dead. The search (for survivors) is continuing. The loss, in terms of property and lives, is really huge,” Kinshasa’s vice governor, Neron Mbungu, told a news agency.

At least two bridges collapsed as well as a part of a major road in the capital, Mbungu said, adding that the dead included a child who was electrocuted.

Fatal floods and rains are frequent in Kinshasa. In January last year, dozens were killed in landslides and floods and after houses collapsed following just one night of heavy rain.

Africa’s third largest city, Kinshasa counts around 10 million inhabitants, many of whom live in precarious dwellings.