Kinshasa: Four dead, six seriously injured in Matadi road accident

A serious road accident on the Matadi road in Kinshasa claimed four lives and left six people with severe injuries on Saturday. The incident occurred in the Matadi-Mayo neighborhood, near the Mapinduzi school in the Mont-Ngafula commune.

Initial reports suggest a failure in the braking system of a trailer truck was the cause of the tragedy. The heavy-duty truck was transporting flour from the port city of Matadi to Kinshasa when it reportedly lost control and violently collided with another vehicle. The impact resulted in significant material damage and multiple casualties.

Those critically injured were promptly evacuated to medical facilities for emergency treatment. This latest accident reignites debate surrounding road safety on the Matadi road, a crucial and heavily trafficked artery in the Congolese capital. Local residents frequently voice complaints about excessive speeding by some heavy trucks and the often-poor mechanical condition of vehicles using the route.

The tragedy occurred less than 48 hours after another accident on the same road, which resulted in three fatalities. That previous incident had already raised serious concerns among the population about the increasing number of accidents on this strategic route connecting Kinshasa to the Kongo-Central province.