At least 33 die in floods in Democratic Republic of Congo
At least 33 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in floods that have limited access to more than half of the country's capital, Kinshasa.
Ten deaths were confirmed on Sunday evening, adding to the 23 people already known to have died, the country's interior minister Jacquemin Shabani said on state television.
Most of the deaths were down to walls that collapsed under the deluge after heavy rains, which began last week and caused the Ndjili River to overflow on Friday, leaving hundreds of buildings under water, officials said on Sunday.
While the situation had improved by Monday morning, some access roads remained blocked, and traffic was limited while authorities hurried to evacuate and support those trapped indoors by rising waters.
The main road to the airport, which also links Kinshasa to the rest of the country, was damaged by the flooding but will be open to all vehicles within 72 hours, Kinshasa governor Daniel Bumba said over the weekend.
Access to drinking water has been affected in at least 16 communes, the interior ministry said in a statement.
At least four emergency shelters have been set up to help hundreds of displaced families across the city, the ministry said.
Many residents blamed the government for not responding quickly enough to the disaster.
Marie Nzola, one of those whose property was destroyed, said: "We lost everything and left everything behind. The rain caught us by surprise late at night."
Clement Matwidi said: "Everything is lost due to the floods (and) we are here waiting for the government's decision."
In 2022, at least 100 people were killed during similar flooding in Kinshasa.
The Congolese government is already battling a humanitarian disaster in the east of the huge country, where decades of fighting with rebels escalated in February, worsening what is already one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.
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Times
29-04-2025
- Times
How to prepare for a power outage
The idea of being left completely without power — and, in effect, having your day-to-day existence reverting back hundreds of years in an instant — sounds like something out of a disaster movie. And yet, it was reality for tens of millions of people in Spain and Portugal yesterday and today when a huge outage brought both of the Iberian peninsula to a near-standstill, grounding planes, halting public transport, and forcing hospitals to suspend routine operations. Spain's interior ministry declared a national emergency, deploying 30,000 police across the country to keep order, as governments from the two countries convened emergency cabinet meetings. REN, Portugal's national grid operator, blamed the weather and a 'rare atmospheric phenomenon'. This, it said, had been caused by extreme temperature variations in recent days which, in turn, caused 'anomalous oscillations' in very high voltage lines in the Spanish grid, a process engineers described as 'induced atmospheric vibration'. Every home in Europe should have a three-day crisis survival kit, including bottled water, canned food, a torch and supplies of toilet paper, the European Union said last month. So what can you do, if anything, to be prepared for a sudden power outage — caused either by freak weather phenomena, a hacking attack by a hostile power, or simply a technology failure? • What caused the power outage in Spain and Portugal? We asked three British disaster professors how they have prepared in their own homes. Professor Lucy Easthope, Britain's leading disaster expert, is a prolific lecturer, author and government adviser on emergency planning and disaster recovery. Dr Sarita Robinson, nicknamed Dr Survival, lectures on the psychology of survival at the University of Central Lancashire. Plus, Professor Ilan Kelman is professor of disasters and health at University College London. Easthope (@LucyGoBag on X) says your go bag should contain what you would take 'if somebody said to you, 'We need to get you out now, you've got 15 minutes to pack.'' Her bag mirrors a 'weekend mini break bag, but with extra things in'. It has a phone charger, a battery pack, underwear, a wash bag, a spare pair of glasses, headache pills and a bottle of water. Kelman's advice is to keep at hand a money belt with cash and a passport, as bank cards may not work in a crisis. Robinson's bag is in her car, with an extra set of clothes, a foil survival blanket, a small torch and food for 24 hours. 'It's basically thinking, if I break down on some remote Scottish hillside and my phone is out of charge, would I have enough to get me through the night?' She adds: 'Parents of young children have a go bag. It's just called a nappy bag. Don't overthink it.' Because Kelman lives in a flat without a garden, he decided not to have a generator, which comes with a risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Nor does he have a power bank, which will eventually run out. In a long power cut 'I'm assuming that I won't have my phone or my laptop'. To charge your phone up to four times, the consumer website Which? recommends the INIU Power Bank 22.5W Fast Charging 20,000mAh (£24.74, Robinson has a 'tiny generator, the sort of thing you take camping'. Which? suggests the battery-powered Anker portable power station, which costs £189 from Amazon and can be charged with a solar charger. The manufacturer claims it can power a mini fridge for five hours. Petrol generators start from £200 and diesel-powered ones from £400, Which? says. Easthope keeps hers in a store in the garden. 'It has to be well ventilated,' she says. 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'Then immediately stop flushing your loos,' Easthope says. You can flush with a bucket of non-drinking water instead. Experts recommend having food for at least 72 hours. Include cereals, nuts and dried fruit, meals that do not need cooking and treats. When the pandemic loomed, Robinson was ready with the essentials but her husband noticed the 'nice things' were missing. 'He went to the shop for crisps and chocolate. Else we would have been totally miserable.' Stock food that you would eat, she adds — their tins of Fray Bentos pies never got eaten in lockdown. A small gas camping stove with spare canisters and matches is a useful back-up cooker, Robinson says. Which? recommends the Coleman FyreStorm PCS (£79.99, Amazon). A Kelly Kettle can boil water in three minutes using only twigs and pine cones as fuel (its base camp kit costs £99.95, while a Biolite CampStove 2 does the same while also converting the heat into electricity to charge your phone (£138.99, 'A common question is: can you use a camping stove indoors? You can, but ensure there's a good amount of ventilation,' Which? advises. Or use your gas barbecue outside. 'The world feels more terrifying when it's dark,' says Easthope, who has solar lamps, rechargeable lamps and hurricane lanterns. Disaster experts 'are not thrilled with candles' because of the fire risk, she says. According to Which?, the Nebo Big Larry 2 torch (£14.99, and the Black Diamond head torch (£16.96, both last over eight hours. Remember spare batteries or buy a wind-up torch. Robinson has a life axe, also called an escape hammer, in her car to cut seatbelts and break the window if she becomes trapped in an accident. None of the professors have weapons. 'Looting and rioting are what we call a disaster myth. We see very low levels of that in real disasters,' Easthope says. 'You see high levels of hunkering down rather than rapid societal breakdown.' Prepare a month's extra supply of prescription medication and a first-aid kit. More importantly, do a first-aid course. 'More and more we're seeing a longer delay with help coming. That's a worthwhile investment. It's a lovely quirky Christmas present for a teenager,' says Easthope, who has put both her children through first-aid courses. Her 12-year-old has also done a survival course and her nine-year-old is training to be a swimming lifeguard. 'Know thy neighbour,' Kelman says. Survival is 'all about knowing each other's needs and supporting each other.' One of the 'most important things', Easthope says, is to talk through your disaster plan as a household. What would you do in a flood or a house fire? How will you get back together if you are separated? As a start, the UK government has a campaign with advice on how to prepare for an emergency. The US government has a good website on preparing your children ( This article was updated from a version first published on December 15, 2023 Are you prepared for an unexpected disaster, or would you do so? What would you stock up on? Tell us below Find more daily Property & Home content here
Scottish Sun
29-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
Spain and Portugal power outage – Cheering in streets as electricity FINALLY returns after countries ground to halt
LIGHTS ON Spain and Portugal power outage – Cheering in streets as electricity FINALLY returns after countries ground to halt CHEERS erupted across Spain and Portugal on Monday night as electricity finally flickered back to life following a colossal blackout that plunged the Iberian peninsula into darkness. The major outage brought two nations to a grinding halt — grounding flights, crippling public transport, knocking out hospitals, and shuttering stores from Lisbon to Barcelona. Advertisement 2 Electricity finally returned to Spain and Portugal after a major outage 2 People cheered as power came back to the streets of Lisbon The cause of the massive blackout, which began around 10.33am UK time, remains unclear. Spain's Interior Ministry declared a national emergency and deployed 30,000 police to maintain order as both governments held emergency cabinet meetings. 'This is something that has never happened before,' said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. About 61% of Spain's power was restored by Monday night, with electricity returning first to the Basque Country, Barcelona, and parts of Madrid. Advertisement In Portugal, grid operator REN confirmed 85 out of 89 substations were back online, including the capital Lisbon. On the streets, people celebrated. Some cooked meals by candlelight, others flocked to plazas in impromptu gatherings, and supermarket shelves were stripped bare as residents rushed to stock up. But what caused both countries to plunge into darkness is still unknown. 'There could be a thousand and one causes, it's premature to assess the cause,' said Joao Conceicao, a board member of Portugal's grid operator REN. Advertisement He suggested, however, the blackout may have begun with a 'very large oscillation in electrical voltage, first in the Spanish system, which then spread to the Portuguese system'. Spain's grid operator REE pointed to a connection failure with France. 'The extent of the loss of power was beyond what European systems are designed to handle and caused a disconnection of the Spanish and French grids, which in turn led to the collapse of the Spanish electric system,' said REE's Eduardo Prieto. Pedro Sanchez revealed Spain lost 15GW of electricity in just five seconds - equivalent to 60% of the country's demand. Advertisement 'Technicians were working to figure out why that sudden drop occurred,' he said. Despite swirling rumours of sabotage, Portuguese PM Luis Montenegro said there was 'no indication' of a cyberattack. Still, Sanchez confirmed he had spoken to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte as a precaution. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online Advertisement is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Sun
29-04-2025
- The Sun
Spain and Portugal power outage – Cheering in streets as electricity FINALLY returns after countries ground to halt
CHEERS erupted across Spain and Portugal on Monday night as electricity finally flickered back to life following a colossal blackout that plunged the Iberian peninsula into darkness. The major outage brought two nations to a grinding halt — grounding flights, crippling public transport, knocking out hospitals, and shuttering stores from Lisbon to Barcelona. 1 The cause of the massive blackout, which began around 10.33am UK time, remains unclear. Spain's Interior Ministry declared a national emergency and deployed 30,000 police to maintain order as both governments held emergency cabinet meetings. 'This is something that has never happened before,' said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. About 61% of Spain's power was restored by Monday night, with electricity returning first to the Basque Country, Barcelona, and parts of Madrid. In Portugal, grid operator REN confirmed 85 out of 89 substations were back online, including the capital Lisbon. On the streets, people celebrated. Some cooked meals by candlelight, others flocked to plazas in impromptu gatherings, and supermarket shelves were stripped bare as residents rushed to stock up. But what caused both countries to plunge into darkness is still unknown. 'There could be a thousand and one causes, it's premature to assess the cause,' said Joao Conceicao, a board member of Portugal's grid operator REN. He suggested, however, the blackout may have begun with a 'very large oscillation in electrical voltage, first in the Spanish system, which then spread to the Portuguese system'. Spain's grid operator REE pointed to a connection failure with France. 'The extent of the loss of power was beyond what European systems are designed to handle and caused a disconnection of the Spanish and French grids, which in turn led to the collapse of the Spanish electric system,' said REE's Eduardo Prieto. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
