As the Ndigili River overflowed, stranded drivers, infrastructure collapsed, and the capital struggled.

Heavy rains triggered severe flooding in huge rivers in the Democratic Republic of Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo, killing about 30 people and destroying houses and roads.

Provincial Health Minister Patricien Gongo gave the death toll on Sunday, but stressed that it was “temporary”. He added that most deaths in the flood were caused by wall collapse.

The Ndjili River, which crossed the city of nearly 17 million people, destroyed banks on Friday night and flooded major national roads. Motorists were trapped for hours, some were in the car all night.

“We welcomed friends to welcome friends last night when we got home from the airport last night because there was no safe parking lot and we spent the night in the car.”

Many communities are trapped in darkness, while others suffer from water shortages.

Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba Lubaki said the water infrastructure was damaged but guaranteed that residents would resume supplies within a few days. He spoke on state television, accusing some deaths of blaming illegal housing and warned that people living in unplanned settlements could face evictions.

Raphael Tshimanga Muamba, a hydrologist, said human activities have exacerbated the conditions of the river over time.

“These are the anthropogenic effects of river degradation; their size no longer represents its ability to initially contain floods,” he told Reuters.

Floods occur with the instability that the country faces Conflicts in the eastern part of the country. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have stepped up attacks there since the beginning of the year, with more than 7,000 people killed and millions displaced in recent months.