Six killed after heavy rains hit DR Congo's capital
- By AFP -
- Oct 10, 2019
Six people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo after torrential rains hit the capital Kinshasa, flooding several neighbourhoods. a local official said.
The bodies were found between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Five people were killed in the capital’s Selembao municipality where around 30 houses collapsed, local mayor Augustin Mankesi told Top Congo radio station.
One woman died in the Pelende district after she was electrocuted, he added.
“Our community is stricken,” Mankesi added, calling on the Congolese authorities for help.
Fatal floods and rains are frequent in Kinshasa. In January last year 48 people were killed in landslides, floods and after houses collapsed, according to authorities.
Residents told AFP the road from the seaport district of Matadi to the Kinshasa turnoff has been closed due to erosion caused by the rain.
The passage is Kinshasa’s main supply route for imported goods and also serves as an exit point for exports.