Death toll from floods in DRC capital Kinshasa rises to 141

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The death toll from floods caused by torrential rains in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa has risen to 141, the government has said.

Videos showing the lifeless bodies of victims of the heavy rains have gone viral in Kinshasa.

"This [latest] tragedy calls for a collective awareness of the urgent need to respect urban planning rules by refraining from building on so-called non-aedificandi sites (places where structures should not be built), from throwing rubbish into rivers and gutters, whose role is to drain rainwater and not to receive any kind of rubbish," Kinshasa Governor Gentiny Ngobila wrote in his communiqué.

"It is when we unfortunately have these anarchic constructions that we suffer these types of setbacks that cause a lot of damage," said Prime Minister Sama Lukonde.