At least 59 people have died in flooding across Ivory Coast since the start of the country’s rainy season in mid-May, government officials have confirmed.
Government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly disclosed the latest death toll after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, describing this year’s rainy season as particularly severe.
The annual rainy season, which runs from late May to late July, frequently triggers floods and landslides that claim dozens of lives, especially in low-income communities.
Coulibaly said the country had recorded an unusually high number of fatalities despite the rainy season only just beginning.
The commercial capital, Abidjan, has been the worst-hit, with more than 10 people reported dead within two days earlier this week. The city, home to over six million residents, has long struggled with recurring flooding caused by rapid urbanisation and the expansion of informal settlements in flood-prone areas.
The government has in recent years carried out demolition and relocation exercises in vulnerable communities to reduce the impact of flooding.
According to Coulibaly, no deaths have been recorded in high-risk areas where residents complied with government directives to relocate.
However, he said about 20 people died in Abidjan’s Attecoube district after some residents returned to locations that had previously been cleared by authorities.
The government has continued to urge residents in flood-prone communities to relocate to safer areas as heavy rains persist across the country.
