Floods paralyse Ghana capital, kill three

ACCRA:

Torrential rains sparked flooding across Accra on Monday, killing at least three people, authorities and local media reported, with the president blaming climate change and unchecked urbanisation.

Flooding is common during Ghana's rainy season, but residents say inundations in the capital have become worse in recent years due to rapid urbanisation, the building on and blocking of waterways, and a lack of investment in drainage infrastructure.

Some 140 millimetres of rain fell on the city in a single day, "the highest experienced in several years" and nearly triple last year's high, President John Mahama said. "That aspect of the problem is beyond our control because it is driven by changing climatic conditions," he said on X.

But he also warned of "the issue of human behaviour".

"Whenever government begins removing structures built in waterways, some people accuse us of being inhumane," he said. "Yet when disasters such as today's flooding occur, the consequences affect everyone."

In the eastern suburb of Tse Addo, emergency responders and local volunteers used boats to rescue at least 15 children and an infant after rains that started lashing the city at 3:00 am flooded the area.