Flooding kills at least nine in Luanda, Angola

© Pedro Parente

Damage caused by rains in Luanda

Floods in the Angolan capital, Luanda, have left at least nine people dead and four others missing, state news agency Angop reported on Sunday.

A government official was quoted by Angop as saying the deaths were caused by destruction to houses during heavy rain on Saturday. Some of the victims were children according to the official.

Most of the affected areas were in the outskirts of Luanda, including in Kilamba Kiaxi, the site of a showcase public housing development with thousands of apartments built by Chinese firms two years ago.

According to Angop, hundreds of homes were submerged in the flood, causing widespread material damage, with 500 houses affected in the Samba and Coreia suburbs alone.

A road near Luanda's port had to be shut due to a landslide caused by the rains, Angop said.

Angola, Africa's No. 2 oil producer, is in the process of revamping infrastructure that was destroyed by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002.

The conflict led to the migration of thousands from the interior of the country to the capital, for safety. As a result, Luanda has an estimated population of 5 million people, many of whom live in shanty towns called musseques.