Heavy rainfall kills dozens in Ghana, Ivory Coast

Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander Rashid Kwame Nisawu told the AFP news agency that crews had rescued more than 400 people.

Dozens of people have died after floods and landslides triggered by days of torrential rain hit capital cities in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

According to a spokesperson for Ghana’s National Fire Service, at least 12 people were confirmed dead on Tuesday after the heavy rainfall began a day earlier.

“The number could increase because several people are still missing,” Alex King Nartey told local media.

Torrential rains submerged homes and roads across Ghana’s capital city Accra on Monday, prompting hundreds of rescue efforts as teams worked throughout the night.

Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander Rashid Kwame Nisawu told the AFP news agency that crews had rescued more than 400 people on Tuesday, pumping water from homes and assisting stranded residents.

Still, Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation said on Monday that emergency calls began early in the morning as residents realised floodwaters were entering their homes.

“The whole place was flooded. It’s alarming,” said Mariam Dongyela Millah, deputy director of communications at the disaster agency.

In the Ivory Coast, rainfall began on Saturday, with the heavy downpour also causing casualties.

While the country’s authorities did not provide a death toll, a source close to firefighters and the interior minister told the Reuters news agency that the death toll was about 20.

Poor management

Ghanaian Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak acknowledged on Monday that the government’s response to the heavy rainfall could have been better, after the main opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, criticised the government’s efforts.

“We are really very sorry for the loss of life,” he said in a television interview.

In response to the deadly weather pattern, President John Mahama said in a post on X that, according to preliminary data, “approximately 140 millimetres of rain fell on Accra. By comparison, the highest single-day rainfall recorded last year was about 56 millimetres”.

“That aspect of the problem is beyond our control because it is driven by changing climatic conditions,” he said, adding that “human behaviour” was also an issue, pledging to crack down on illegal structures blocking waterways.

Still, Ghana’s Meteorological Agency urged locals in Accra to prepare for more rain this week.