A catastrophic wave of torrential rainfall has left at least 24 people dead across the capitals of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, as emergency services struggle to reach residents trapped by submerged infrastructure and shifting earth.
The dual crises, which intensified following a weekend of relentless precipitation, have overwhelmed municipal drainage systems and triggered landslides in both nations.
In Accra, the flooding has reached critical levels, with vast swathes of the city and the neighbouring port city of Tema rendered inaccessible. The Ghana National Fire Service confirmed that at least 12 fatalities have been recorded thus far, including a mother and her child who were swept away by currents in the Achimota-Agbogbloshie district.
Alex King Nartey, spokesperson for the Fire Service, described the rescue operations as exceptionally challenging. “Access to affected areas was a big problem for the emergency services, which had to request the help of the military,” Nartey stated.
Video footage from the capital depicts harrowing scenes of residents navigating neck-deep floodwaters to reach trapped neighbours, while main thoroughfares remain littered with abandoned vehicles. The Ghana Meteorological Agency has issued a stern warning, advising locals to prepare for further rainfall throughout the remainder of the week.
The situation is equally dire in the Ivory Coast, where government officials confirmed that more than a dozen people have lost their lives in the capital, Abidjan. Minister of National Cohesion, Myss Belmonde Dogo, reported that the municipalities of Attécoubé and Yopougon have borne the brunt of the disaster.
Local reports indicate that nine victims were killed when a landslide buried them under rubble in the Mossikro neighbourhood. Emergency workers have spent the past 48 hours conducting complex search-and-rescue operations in these unstable areas.
The twin disasters highlight the intensifying impact of extreme weather events in West Africa. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the region remains disproportionately vulnerable to climate-induced catastrophes, despite contributing only a marginal fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Ghana National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) reported that emergency calls surged early Monday morning as the scale of the inundation became apparent. “The whole place was flooded. It’s alarming,” said Mariam Dongyela Millah, deputy director of communications at the agency.
As rescue teams continue to scour submerged buildings and debris, authorities in both capitals are focusing on long-term displacement support, even as the threat of further precipitation looms.
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