More than 160 people have been killed in the worst floods in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in years, according to estimates by United Nations officials, quoting the authorities on Friday.
Major roads were submerged for hours in Kinshasa, a city of about 15 million people, after heavy rains raged throughout Tuesday night, and a major supply route leading to the port of Matadi collapsed.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, “The Congolese authorities announced the death of at least 169 people and the wounding of about 30 who were transferred to receive treatment in hospitals in the capital, and the water destroyed 280 homes.”
The government has not announced an increase in the death toll since the prime minister’s office reported a provisional death toll of 120 on Tuesday.
According to the United Nations, the regions of Mont Ngafula and Ngalima, in the west of the capital, were the most affected by the heavy rains, with more than 38,000 people affected.