Flooding kills at least one in Senegal’s capital

DAKAR (Reuters) – At the very least one individual was killed and one severely wounded after torrential rain brought about intense flooding in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, on Friday, a police officer mentioned.
Unusually heavy downpours hit the town for the second time in lower than a month, sending brown, knee-deep water gushing down streets and grid-locking site visitors. Movies shared on Twitter confirmed submerged underpasses and water pouring by the home windows of deserted automobiles.
A police officer advised Reuters that one individual had drowned within the middle-class neighbourhood of Mermoz. One other individual was rescued in severe situation and brought to hospital, he mentioned.
Rain usually falls in intense bursts throughout Senegal’s wet season, which runs from July to October.
Flooding is a daily prevalence throughout this era in Dakar, however deaths are comparatively uncommon, notably in additional well-off components of the capital. Senegal is a semi-arid nation the place sandy roads and flat-roofed homes are poorly outfitted for rain.
Downpours have been notably sturdy in latest weeks.
Comparable scenes unfolded in Dakar on July 20, when 84 millimetres (3.3 inches) of rain have been recorded within the area of two hours, in line with the nationwide civil aviation and meteorological company (ANACIM).
On Friday, 126 millimetres of rain fell between 9 a.m. and three p.m.
Rainfall qualifies as “excessive” when it surpasses 50 millimetres, ANACIM says.
(Reporting by Diadie Ba and Ngouda Dione; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Modifying by Leslie Adler)