Heavy rains swelled into a torrent of water that swamped Congo's sprawling capital, killing 30 people in less than 24 hours, the government said Friday.

The death toll was likely to rise, an official at Congo's humanitarian affairs ministry said, because relief workers have not been able to reach many flooded neighborhoods.

''Thirty dead and about a hundred injured have been registered,'' said Serge Mulumbe, the humanitarian affairs ministry official.

The heavy rain started falling Thursday in the Central African city and continued into the early hours Friday.