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Photo taken on Jan. 7, 2020 shows a flooded street in Luanda, capital of Angola. Heavy rains that struck Angola early this week have left 41 people dead and caused widespread destruction, Interior Minister Eugenio Cesar Laborinho said Thursday in Luanda. (Photo by Wang Peng/Xinhua)

LUANDA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains that struck Angola early this week have left 41 people dead and caused widespread destruction, Interior Minister Eugenio Cesar Laborinho said Thursday in Luanda.

In remarks to the press at the first meeting of the National Civil Protection Commission, the minister said the country has been witnessing heavy rainfall in recent days, which has caused flooding, destruction of infrastructure and crops and above all, the loss of people's lives.

The rains have also caused cuts in electricity and water supply as well as the cutoff of roads, which hamper economic growth, he added.

According the minister, flood damage is most prevalent in the provinces of Luanda, the capital, Bie, Benguela, Huambo, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Lunda Sul and Norte, Malange, Namibe, Uige and Zaire.

Across the country, about 2,500 families were affected by the rains, 378 homes destroyed, 975 homes flooded, 12 churches destroyed and 4 bridges also destroyed.