At least seven individuals, together with two girls and two youngsters, had been killed after relentless in a single day downpours flooded Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, toppling houses, trapping residents, and chopping off key roads, officers stated Saturday.
The torrential rains – measuring over 115 millimeters in simply eight hours – started Friday night time and lasted till daybreak, triggering flash floods that paralyzed components of the town, destroyed 9 houses throughout a number of districts, and displaced greater than 200 households.
Public transport halted, and main tarmac arteries had been rendered impassable.
“We spent the night on rooftops, shivering from the cold,” stated Mohamed Hassan, a resident of one of many worst-hit neighborhoods. “Some elderly people are still trapped. I haven’t even had breakfast.”
Spokesperson Salah Omar Hassan of the Banadir regional administration confirmed the demise toll and warned that harm to 6 main roads may cripple motion throughout the capital. “These roads are important lifelines for transport and other people,” he stated.
The flooding additionally briefly disrupted operations at Aden Abdulle International Airport, although flights later resumed. Rescue efforts continued Saturday as assessments by the Somali Disaster Management Agency had been nonetheless underway.
Climate shocks are nothing new to Somalia. In 2023, El Nino-fueled flooding killed greater than 100 individuals and displaced over one million. And the disaster continues. A U.N. report from late April indicated that 45,000 individuals throughout the nation had already been affected by flash floods since mid-month.
The Energy and Water Ministry warned of potential flash floods in different areas, citing the town’s overwhelmed drainage system and speedy city enlargement as key vulnerabilities on this unfolding catastrophe.
“I have never seen rain this heavy in Mogadishu,” stated Abdullahi Ali, a 35-year-old father whose neighborhood was submerged. “Several houses crumbled around us.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com