26 dead after power cable collapsed in a market

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At least 26 people have died after they were electrocuted by a falling power cable at a market in the Democratic Republic of Congo, police say.

The high-voltage cable snapped and fell onto houses and people shopping near the capital Kinshasa on Wednesday.

Unverified footage posted to social media appeared to show the aftermath of the incident, with several motionless bodies in puddles of water.

It is not yet clear what caused the power cable to break.

Police said the collapse happened at the Matadi-Kibala district on the outskirts of Kinshasa and that a number of people died on the spot.

"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.

Local media report that the majority of the victims are female market traders.

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Collapse power cables

DR Congo