Dozens dead after Kinshasa deluge

Torrential rains and floods have killed at least 33 people in Kinshasa – the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo – according to officials.

“The republic will not abandon you,” President Félix Tshisekedi promised victims on Monday, saying he had called a government crisis meeting.

Desperate residents have been trying to flee the floodwaters by wading, swimming or paddling to safety in homemade canoes.

The city is home to 17 million people, and sits on the Congo river, which is one of the biggest in the world and stretches across the country.