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Flood in Kinshasa kills at least 120 people

At least 120 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa after floods and landslides caused by heavy rains, according to reports from the General Management of Migration, a part of DRC’s interior ministry.

Images shared online showed many neighbourhoods flooded with muddy water and several roads ripped apart by sinkholes.

Floods caused by heavy rains swept parts of DR Congo’s capital Kinshasa on Tuesday, in one case killing nine people when their home collapsed.https://t.co/atacl2YYxx pic.twitter.com/7TURNBjYjR

— The EastAfrican (@The_EastAfrican) December 13, 2022

We are already at around fifty deaths and that is not yet final,” the city’s police chief Sylvano Kasongo stated on Tuesday.

The prime minister and provincial governor are visiting the flooded areas, and local officials are expected to meet representatives of the Interior Ministry and other state bodies to address the catastrophe, a representative of the governor’s office said.

Terrible … At least 137 people have been killed in Congo’s capital #Kinshasa after heavy rains unleashed floods and caused landslide.

pic.twitter.com/F2aLJIcKnN

— Yalć Aydın (@professeurfle) December 13, 2022

Megacity in danger

Once a fishing village on the banks of the Congo river, Kinshasa has grown into one of Africa’s largest megacities with a population of around 15 million.

Poorly regulated rapid urbanization has made Kinshasa increasingly vulnerable to flash floods, which are frequent at this time of year.

Democratic Republic of Congo – 300,000 Exposed to Flood Waters in Northern Provinces #DRC #floods@UNOSAT maps show flooded areas using the VIIRS satellite imageryhttps://t.co/8TU1uup8OV via @Flood_List pic.twitter.com/ACUat6Jitm

— FloodList (@Flood_List) December 9, 2022

In addition to damaged infrastructure, each day of flooding in Kinshasa costs households a combined USD 1.2 million due to large-scale transport disruption, explains a 2020 World Bank document.

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