DRC: 26 Killed in Power Cable Collapse

At least 26 people have died after a high-tension power cable collapsed at a market in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The tragic incident took place in the Matibidi-Kibala district of the capital, Kinshasa, on Wednesday, 2 February – the cable snapped, falling onto shoppers as well as onto nearby houses.

According to Charles Mbutamuntu, spokesperson for the Kinshasa provincial government, the live end of the cable fell into a rain-filled ditch, electrocuting those in contact with the cable. The victims were mostly market vendors, and consisted of 24 women and two men.

Unverified video clips from the incident, in which several motionless bodies are seen in the aftermath, were uploaded to social media. These bodies were subsequently moved to a local morgue.

An investigation into the incident has since been launched; per a statement from the DRC’s national electricity company, the Societe Nationale d’Electricite, “lightning severed an under-voltage phase conductor”, thus causing the cable to fall.

Several districts of Kinshasa are apparently prone to flooding as a result of poorly maintained, colonial-era drainage systems.

Image Credit: Source