Floods Kill 30 in Kinshasa as Ndjili River Overflows
At least 30 people have died in Kinshasa after heavy rains caused the Ndjili River to flood, destroying homes and cutting off power and water in several districts.
30 Dead as Severe Flooding Devastates Kinshasa, DRC
At least 30 people have died following severe flooding in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after torrential rains battered the city over the weekend.
The heavy downpours triggered the Ndjili River—flowing through the densely populated city of nearly 17 million—to burst its banks on Friday night, inundating roads, submerging homes, and crippling transportation.
Entire neighborhoods have been left without electricity and access to clean water, compounding the hardship for residents already grappling with the widespread destruction. The worst-hit areas include communities around Masina, the Abattoir district, and Petro Kongo, where more than 600 homes have reportedly been submerged.
In the absence of functioning roads, rescue teams have resorted to using canoes and speedboats to evacuate stranded residents and transport victims to safer locations.
Photos from the city show residents navigating through flooded streets by boat, a stark illustration of the disaster's scale.
“A crisis meeting will be held to determine how best to support the affected population,” said Deputy Police Chief Blaise Kilimbalimba, who serves as the Kinshasa police commander.
The DRC typically experiences its rainy season from November through May. However, the frequency and intensity of such floods have been increasing, raising concerns over infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness in urban centers like Kinshasa.
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