Flooding leaves 50 dead, up to 20 missing in southern Congo

KINSHASA, Congo – Officials say torrential rains and flooding have left at least 50 people dead in southwestern Congo.

Storms earlier this week battered the town of Boma, which is 470 kilometres (nearly 300 miles) south of the capital, Kinshasa.

Jacques Mbadu Nsitu, governor of Kongo-Central province, says as many as 20 other people remain missing.

The governor says water levels rose dramatically to between 2 and 3 metres (6 and 9 feet) high within about two hours’ time.

The flooding has left at least 1,000 people in the area homeless. Many of those affected lived along the river, and officials in Boma were urging residents Thursday not to rebuild in the low-lying areas.