Dozens die after torrential rain hammers Kinshasa happymamay

Heavy rains and floods have killed at least 33 people in Kinshasa – the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – according to officials.

“The Republic will not give up on you,” President Felix Chesikde, on Monday, promised that he had called a government crisis meeting.

The desperate residents try to escape flood water by going, swimming or rowing to safety in homemade boats.

City House for 17 million people He sits on the Congo River, which is one of the largest players in the world and extends throughout the country.

Floods are common – the river recently reached its highest level in six decades.

Parts of the capital are vulnerable to soil erosion, and in recent years of the Congolese President Warning that the climate crisis makes floods worse.

Several houses were crossed in West Kinshasa after the floods during the night from Friday to Saturday.

About half of the 26th city area is affected by the city, according to the mayor of the capital, who says the search and rescue teams have been sent.

The worst is the outskirts of the city, as well as some of its poorest neighborhoods.

“The water has reached a height of 1.5 meters. We have just been able to save ourselves, and the rest are trapped in our homes,” Kristof Paula, who lives in Nadano, told Agence France Presse.

The other local residents told the reporters that they were angry at the authorities, accusing them of being very slow to respond and not send enough help.

Floods also left people across most Kinshasa who struggle with water shortages, after the city’s water treatment pumps were flooded.

The most crowded road in the city, which connects the center to the international airport, is not walking, as well as some highways that link the capital to the main port of the country, Mattadi.

Vice President Jackin Shabani said in a statement on Sunday that at least one tributaries were leading off the Congo River – the Nadigili River – his banks exploded, besieging many residents there.

It is said to be one of the most contaminated rivers Who says Congolese scientists have high levels of stool And other waste.

Bad wastewater maintenance in many Kinshasa areas, and there is little evidence of city planning.

Last year, the government announced plans to address this long -term problem.

More heavy rains in Kinshasa are expected in the coming weeks, as well as in the eastern city of Juma, which the rebel forces have seized earlier this year.

The National Meteorological Agency also warns of heavy rains elsewhere, especially in the north and northeast of the country.