Kinshasa - Flooding this week in the
Democratic Republic of Congo port city of Boma killed at least
50 people and left another 10,000 homeless, authorities told
Reuters on Wednesday.
Torrential rain on Monday night caused the Kalamu River to
overflow, flooding two districts of the southwestern city, said
Therese-Louise Mambu, health minister for Kongo Central
province.
"The damage is very serious," she said. "We continue to look
for other bodies."
Resident Jeanne Nzita told Reuters: "Everything was taken
away - the windows and the doors. All that remains of our house
is the walls and the roof."
Scientific models predict that climate change will bring
increased rainfall to central Africa over the course of this
century. Central and western parts of the Congo Basin are
expected to be worst hit.
Dozens died late last year in the capital Kinshasa as it
recorded unusually heavy rains during the rainy season.