Congo's worst floods kills over 120, government buildings inundated: Updates

Congo Floods: The death toll- first estimated to be at least 55- jumped to more than 120 by night.

More than 120 people were killed as the worst floods in years battered DR Congo's capital Kinshasa, authorities said. This came following an all-night downpour following which major roads in the centre of Kinshasa, a city of some 15 million people, were submerged for hours. The death toll- first estimated to be at least 55- jumped to more than 120 by night. The government has announced three days of national mourning, according to a statement from Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde's office.

Congo Floods: A man walks past a car, stucked in the mud after heavy rains caused floods. (Reuters)

Here are top updates on Congo floods:

1. Kinshasa city police chief General Sylvano Kasongo told AFP that the bulk of people dead were on hillside locations where there had been landslides.

2. A major landslide occurred in the hilly district of Mont-Ngafula, smothering a key supply route linking the capital with Matadi, a port further down the Congo River and a crucial outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.

3. Rescue and search operations are underway, the authorities told AFP.

4. Gombe district- home to government buildings- was also inundated.

5. Located on the Congo River, Kinshasa has seen a huge population influx in recent years.

6. In November 2019, around 40 people in Kinshasa died in floods and landslides. Mont-Ngafula was one of the worst-hit areas.