High-voltage power cable snaps in Kinshasa market, killing 25

iStock [illustration]

At least 25 people died after a high-tension power cable snapped and fell on houses and a market in the outskirts of the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Wednesday, police said.

"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.

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.

Reuters could not authenticate the videos.

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