Officials say rain and floods killed at least 33 people in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Desperate residents try to escape the flood by wading, swimming or rowing in homemade canoes.

This city is Hometown of 17 million peoplelocated on the Congo River, one of the largest rivers in the world, extending across the country.

Flooding is common – the river has reached its highest level in sixty years.

Part of the capital is prone to soil erosion, and in recent years, the Congolese president has Warn of the climate crisis causing flooding.

Many homes in West Kinshasa were swept from Friday to Saturday after flooding.

The mayor of the capital said about half of the city’s 26 districts were affected, and he said the search and rescue team had been dispatched.

The most affected are the suburbs of the city and some of the poorest neighborhoods.

“We just managed to save our own water,” Christophe Bola, who lives in the Ndanu area, told AFP.

Other local residents told reporters they were angry with the authorities and accused them of being too slow to react and not providing enough help.

The flooding also struggling in most parts of Kinshasa after the city’s water treatment pumps themselves were flooded.

The city’s busiest roads connect the center with international airports, which is impassable, and the highway connecting capital to Matadi, the country’s main port.

Vice President Jacquemain Shabani said in a statement Sunday that at least one led the Congo River (N’Djili River) to blast banks, trapping many residents there.

It is said to be one of the most polluted rivers Congolese scientists say it contains high levels of feces and other waste.

In many areas of Kinshasa, sewage maintenance is poor and there is little evidence of town planning.

Last year, the government announced plans to resolve the long-term problem.

Heavy rain is expected to affect the Congo Doctor in the next few days.