Overview

• At least 33 people have died in Kinshasa following days of heavy rainfall and severe flooding, with officials warning the death toll could rise as some areas remain inaccessible.
• Floodwaters are beginning to recede, but many neighborhoods in the city of 17 million remain submerged, complicating rescue and relief efforts.
• The flooding has disrupted drinking water supplies in some areas and destroyed or severely damaged numerous homes, with some structures swept away entirely.
• Authorities have provided temporary shelter for displaced residents, including housing some in a stadium, as part of ongoing humanitarian relief efforts.
• The governor of Kinshasa attributed the disaster's severity to poor urban planning, including unregulated construction and structural deficiencies near waterways.