Floods and landslides have killed at least 24 people in 10 days in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s largest city, authorities said Monday after an unusually intense start to the rainy season.
The National Office for Civil Protection (ONPC) reported that torrential rains between June 13 and June 22 caused a dramatic increase in water levels and triggered landslides across Abidjan.
Over several days, rain that was four times heavier than normal fell on the West African nation’s economic capital, causing spectacular rises in water levels and landslides.
ONPC reported 24 deaths after “torrential rains from Thursday, June 13 to Saturday, June 22,” warning of the risk of collapsed buildings.
Two more people were missing after being “swept away by the waters,” the ONPC statement added.
The fire service updated a toll on June 15 that stated eight people had died as a result of the exceptionally heavy downpours.
About a quarter of the precipitation expected over the entire three-month rainy season from May to July fell in 24 hours, the national meteorological service Sodexam said.
In the commune of Yopougon, Sodexam recorded 214 millimeters (8.4 inches) of rain in a day. The normal level is 50 millimetres (two inches).
Torrential rains followed by devastating floods are a regular occurrence in Abidjan, home to nearly six million people.
Many poorer residents live in shacks located in flood-prone areas, despite the government launching a mass clean-up policy that has destroyed many shanty towns.
In 2023, at least 30 people died in flooding and other incidents linked to heavy rains in the West African nation.
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