Killer deluge:141 killed by heavy rains in DR Congo’s capital

Kinshasa, Dec 14 : At least 141 people were killed following floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that hit several outlying districts of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from late Monday till early Tuesday, according to the latest assessment made public late Tuesday by local authorities.

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.

Kinshasa’s authorities also spoke of damage to the N1 highway connecting Kinshasa to the port city of Matadi, a busy thoroughfare which was cut in two in the Mont-Ngafula district.