DR Congo : Torrential Rain Kills Over Thirty People

Over 30 people have been killed following torrential rains and floods in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Provincial health officials. Kinshasa’s Minister of Health, Patricien Gongo Abakazi told Reuters news agency that the rain had caused widespread destruction on homes and roads after the Ndjili River, which runs through part of the city of around 17 million, overflowed its banks on Friday night, blocking the main national road and leaving drivers stranded since Saturday evening. He added that after the rains, rescue teams are doing all they can to safe desperate residents trying to flee the floodwaters by wading, swimming or paddling to safety in homemade canoes. Many homes in west Kinshasa have been swept away following the overnight flooding from Friday into Saturday.
While announcing the convocation of an emergency meeting in front of the National Assembly, President Félix Tshisekedi said, “The Republic will not abandon the victims”. The meeting according to government sources is expected to earmark aid strategies. Flooding is common with parts of the capital prone to soil erosion due to climate change. About half of the city's 26 districts are affected in total, according to the capital's mayor, who says search and rescue teams have been sent out. Worst affected are the city's outskirts as well as some of its poorest neighbourhoods. 
According to AFP men, women and children wad...