Chronicle EditorKINSHASA/LA PAZ. — Floods triggered by heavy rains and a river bursting its banks have killed at least 50 people and left thousands homeless in the southwest Democratic Republic of Congo, a provincial governor told AFP yesterday.
Torrential rains caused the Kalamu river, which flows through the city of Boma, to overflow for two hours before the waters receded, washing some of the victims across the border into Angola.
“The rains on the night of Monday to Tuesday in Boma have caused at least 50 deaths,” Jacques Mbadu, governor of Kongo Central province, told AFP, adding that a search was still going on for “more bodies that may be buried in the mud”.
“We buried 31 bodies on Wednesday and we expect to get about 20 more bodies back today that ended up across the border in Angola,” Mbadu added.
Mbadu said the waters hit a peak of two metres above their usual level, destroying at least 500 homes and leaving several thousand people homeless.
Boma, which lies near the mouth of the River Congo around 470 kilometres southwest of Kinshasa, is the country’s only Atlantic port.
“This is a cyclical phenomenon which happens every 10 years. It last happened in January 2015 but with climate change it’s now happened again in December 2016,” Mbadu said.
Several locals told AFP that two of the city’s three districts were still covered in mud, up to a metre deep in some places.
In a separate development, violent thunderstorms have swept across Bolivia, causing massive flooding.
At least eight people have died as a result of the violent weather which led to widespread disruption.
The worst of the weather occurred in the west of the country. It was severe enough to force Bolivia’s national weather service to issue a high-level alert for five areas within the region, including the administrative capital, La Paz.
The flooding stranded drivers and pedestrians alike in Cochabamba, where 42mm of rain fell on Wednesday. Even an ambulance had to be rescued from the rising waters.
The rain was even heavier in San Joaquin, with 93mm falling in 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Trinidad, 600km to the northeast of La Paz, notched up 112mm.The heavy downpours come in the wake of Bolivia’s worst drought in 25 years. Life-threatening floods and mudslides will remain a concern for some time to come. — AFP/Al Jazeera/news agencies.
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