The death toll from flooding in Côte d’Ivoire has risen to 59, more than quadrupling the figure announced earlier on Wednesday.
Amadou Coulibaly, the government spokesperson, announced the new toll after a cabinet meeting, describing the numbers as “particularly high” this year.
Coulibaly said the search was continuing, adding that authorities feared the death toll could rise further.
He urged residents to follow safety guidelines and leave areas designated by the government as high-risk zones.
Just hours earlier, the death toll had been put at 12.
Belmonde Dogo, Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister of Social Cohesion, said the continuous rainfall that began on the night of June 27 triggered flooding and landslides in the capital, Abidjan.
Dogo said the flooding caused widespread destruction across Abidjan and surrounding areas.
Videos and photographs shared on social media showed flooded roads, submerged vehicles, and neighbourhoods inundated by rising water.
The disaster comes as several coastal West African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, grapple with widespread flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
Deadly floods are common in parts of Africa, one of the regions most vulnerable to extreme weather events despite contributing only a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
