More than 30 people have been confirmed dead in the wake of severe flooding in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after days of relentless rain over the weekend. Torrential downpours on Friday night caused the Ndjili River to overflow, submerging entire neighborhoods and forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes.
On Monday, authorities scrambled to provide emergency support and evacuate those still trapped in floodwaters, as parts of the sprawling city of 17 million remained inaccessible.
Government officials said most fatalities were caused by collapsed walls and debris, as weakened structures gave way under the deluge. Emergency crews are continuing to search for survivors and clear blocked roads.
Although the waters had begun to recede by Monday morning, traffic remained severely disrupted and several key roads were impassable. Damage to infrastructure has also left many Kinshasa residents without access to clean water.
“The country is not working,” said François Munday, a long-time resident who criticized the government’s slow response to the crisis. “I was born, grew up, and had my children here in Congo. I have never encountered these kinds of situations.”
At least four emergency shelters have been established to house displaced families, according to city officials, but concerns are mounting over the city’s ability to recover in the short term. Small business owners like Françoise Mutela, who sells bananas and okra in the city’s markets, say the floods have wiped out their daily livelihood.
“I have never seen something like this before,” she said. “We can’t even go to our places of work.”
The flooding disaster adds pressure on an already strained government that is battling the M23 rebellion in eastern DRC, where fighting has displaced tens of thousands and worsened an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
With homes destroyed, lives lost, and essential services disrupted, questions are now being raised about the country’s disaster preparedness, urban planning, and climate resilience.
