Power cable collapse at market in DRC kills 25 people

Videos shared on social media show several bodies lying in puddles of water

File photo: People stand at the market in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, 3 April 2017 (AFP/Getty)

At least 25 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died after a high-tension power cable snapped and fell on houses and a market in the outskirts of the capital Kinshasa.

“A high-voltage electric cable fell on several houses in the Matadi-Kibala district and in the market, several people died on the spot,” Kinshasa‘s police chief Sylvano Kasongo said.

Unverified videos from the market shared online showed people wailing around several bodies lying in puddles of water where they had fallen, with fresh produce scattered around them.

The majority of the victims were female market traders, according to local media reports.

“The cable snapped and the live end of it fell into a ditch that was filled with water after morning rain,” Charles Mbutamuntu, spokesman for the Kinshasa provincial government, told AFP news agency.

Mr Mbutamuntu said the corpses had been taken to the morgue and an investigation into the incident has been launched.

Reuters