KINSHASA-(MaraviPost)-At least 141 people have died following floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that hit several parts of the country, particularly the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Kinshasa Provincial Ministry of Public Health confirmed the toll adding that the heavy rains also resulted into the flooding of 38,787 households and about 280 houses had collapsed.
According to Kinshasa’s authorities among the damages caused by the floods triggered by torrential rain include the N1 highway connecting Kinshasa to the port city of Matadi, a busy thoroughfare which was cut in two in the Mont-Ngafula district.
The Washington Post report indicated that the country’s President, Félix Tshisekedi, who is in Washington attending the U.S.-Africa Summit, has declared three days of national mourning, adding that he would cut short his trip to the United States and leave after meeting with President Biden on Thursday.
The country’s General Management of Migration, a part of the interior ministry that is responsible for compiling the toll disclosed that the numbers are expected to rise further.
Kinshasa is home to more than 15 million people.
It is one of Africa’s few full-blown megacities.
But this rapid urbanization has increased the vulnerability of the city and its outskirts to flash floods.
