After the "torrential rains (which occurred) from Thursday, June 13, to Saturday, June 22, in the Autonomous District of Abidjan", the ONPC reported "24 deaths", flooding of roads and houses and the risk of collapse of buildings, reported the news agency France-Presse (AFP).
Firefighters had already announced that eight people had died between Thursday, June 13, and Saturday, June 15, following very heavy rain.
For several days this week, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire was hit by rainfall four times higher than normal, which caused spectacular rises in water levels, landslides and house collapses.
In 24 hours, 214 millimeters (mm) of rain fell in the commune of Yopougon and 205 mm in Cocody, according to the Ivorian meteorological agency Sodexam, which represents a quarter of the precipitation forecast for the entire three months of the rainy season (May- June July). One millimeter is equivalent to the volume of one liter of rainwater.
Sodexam added that the "normal" threshold was 50 mm in 24 hours.
Torrential rains followed by devastating floods are a regular occurrence in Ivory Coast's largest city, where around six of the country's nearly thirty million inhabitants live.
There are a significant number of precarious buildings in poor, flood-prone areas in this constantly growing metropolis, despite the Government launching a vast sanitation policy this year, destroying many informal settlements.
Last year, at least 30 people died in incidents related to heavy rains.
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