19 Persons De¶d As Congo Suffers Second Major Flooding In Two Months

19 Persons Dead As Congo Suffers Second Major Flooding In Two Months

In the southern neighborhood of Lemba, two more people died when a wall collapsed under the pressure of the deluge.

Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, has been struck by a second wave of devastating flooding in just two months, with authorities confirming at least 19 deaths following heavy rains over the weekend.

The downpour, which began Friday and continued into Saturday, unleashed widespread flooding and landslides in the western Ngaliema neighborhood, killing at least 17 people, according to local mayor, Fulgence Bolokome.

“Two avenues in the city were also cut off,” he told Top Congo radio.

In the southern neighborhood of Lemba, two more people died when a wall collapsed under the pressure of the deluge.

“A police camp and a bridge were damaged,” Lemba Mayor Jean-Serge Poba confirmed.

“It was around 3am when we heard a loud noise. When we went outside, the neighbors’ wall had collapsed. The man and his wife both died, leaving behind five children who made it out unharmed,” resident Clovis Kalenga told The Associated Press.

The tragedy marks the second deadly flood disaster in Kinshasa in two months. In April, torrential rains killed at least 22 people and left over half the city, including access to the main airport, submerged or cut off.

The crisis extends beyond the capital. Earlier in May, over 100 people were reported dead following catastrophic flooding in Kasaba, a village near Lake Tanganyika in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The region remains under strain from escalating violence by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have killed thousands since the beginning of the year.