Ivory Coast, Ghana floods claim 74 lives as rains intensify

Heavy rains have left at least 71 people dead in Ivory Coast and Ghana over the past few days, with the worst downpour occurring Sunday and Monday.

The floods claimed 59 lives in Ivory Coast, government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly told reporters Wednesday in Abidjan, the economic hub. In Ghana, at least 15 people had died, Alex King Nartey, a spokesman at the Ghana National Fire Service said by phone.

“The death toll has been particularly high,” Coulibaly said. “We are only just at the beginning of the wet season.”

Ghanaian President John Mahama ordered the release of 300 million cedis ($26.5 million) for relief efforts after more than 38 000 people were displaced.

Poor planning and infrastructure have worsened the impact of seasonal rains in the region, especially in fast-growing cities like Accra and Abidjan. Attécoubé, a flood-prone suburb of Abidjan, recorded as many as 20 deaths, because residents keep returning to the area after each flood, Coulibaly said. Climate change is a factor but only part of the problem, Mahama said in a video released by the presidency.

In Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer, the rains have also made it harder for farmers to access their farms, Bloomberg reported Monday.

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