Floods and landslides in Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan, have killed at least 24 people following a week of heavy rains, four times the usual volume in some cases, officials said. authorities Tuesday.
Flood -related deaths are not uncommon in the West African country during the rainy season, but recent rainfall has been particularly heavy, with more than 200 millimeters in some districts, according to the Ivorian weather agency. or four times the usual amount in a day.
Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable because of inadequate rainwater drainage systems in houses that are often hastily built in the absence of zoning regulations.
Floods and landslides also caused "significant" damage across the city, flooding homes and roads, Ivory Coast 's National Civil Protection Office said . At least 271 people trapped by the rains were successfully rescued, according to the National Civil Protection Office.
Last year, authorities demolished homes built along a lagoon in Abidjan to prevent deadly flooding.