Congo death toll hits 77 after extreme weather brings floods and sinks boats, 107 remain missing

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in Congo said the death toll following devastating floods and separate boat accidents has reached 77, with more than 100 people missing.

A total of 48 bodies have been recovered in the northwestern Equateur province where three boats sank on Lake Tumba during extreme weather last Wednesday, with 107 passengers remain missing, the Ministry of Interior said. Almost 50 people were rescued, it said.

Separately, 29 people are confirmed to have died after heavy rains at the weekend triggered floods and landslides in the capital city Kinshasa, cutting off some parts of the city and submerging many houses, the ministry said in a statement late Sunday.

Residents told how walls collapsed and houses were submerged following the rains in the capital.

“It was around 3 a.m. when we heard a loud noise. When we went outside, the neighbors’ wall had collapsed. The man and his wife both died,” resident Clovis Kalenga had said.

Rebuilding work was underway in Kinshasa to repair damaged structures in affected communes, including a bridge, local media reports said.

The ministry said a government delegation has been deployed to help coordinate humanitarian response in the Equateur province.

The government was also working on strengthening its disaster prevention plan and resilience efforts in communities, it said.