Accra, Abidjan floods kill 24 as rescuers battle submerged neighbourhoods

Accra,UPDATED: Jun 30, 2026 19:10 IST

Floods and landslides after days of torrential rain in the capitals of Ghana and Ivory Coast have left at least 24 people dead, authorities said on Tuesday, as emergency workers continued rescuing residents stranded in submerged buildings.

At least 12 people were killed in Ghana and more than a dozen in Ivory Coast, with large parts of Accra and Abidjan badly affected. Roads and buildings were submerged, access to several areas was cut off, and emergency teams were still trying to reach those trapped by the floodwaters.

In Ghana, entire buildings and roads were under water in Accra on Monday, cutting off access to several parts of the capital and the neighbouring city of Tema. Alex King Nartey, a spokesperson for the Ghana Fire Service, said 12 people had been confirmed dead, including a mother and child who were swept away in the Achimota-Agbogbloshie district.

Videos from Accra showed residents swimming through neck-deep water to rescue trapped neighbours, while vehicles were left abandoned on flooded roads. Nartey said access to affected areas was "a big problem" for emergency services, which had to seek help from the military. Several neighbourhoods were still partially flooded by Tuesday morning.

Ghana's Disaster Management Organisation said emergency calls started coming in from around 7 am on Monday as residents realised floodwater was entering their homes. "The whole place was flooded. It's alarming," said Mariam Dongyela Millah, deputy director of communications at the agency. The Ghana Meteorological Agency has urged people in Accra to prepare for more rain later this week.

In Ivory Coast, several days of rain caused flooding that left more than a dozen people dead, most of them in the municipalities of Attcoub and Yopougon in Abidjan, according to Minister of Cohesion Myss Belmonde Dogo. Local media reported that at least nine of those killed were trapped under rubble in the Mossikro neighbourhood after the rains began on Saturday.

The flooding in Accra and Abidjan has left at least 24 people dead, disrupted access across affected areas and forced emergency teams to continue rescue efforts, with more rain expected in Ghana.

With PTI Inputs

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