Heavy rains flooded roads and destroyed buildings over the weekend in Senegal, as the government said several people had been killed and warned of more rain to come.
Flash floods in the capital Dakar and elsewhere disrupted traffic, testing the West African country’s infrastructure weeks before it hosts the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, starting on October 31.
Local media reported that a mother and her child had been killed in the Parcelles Assainies area of Dakar after their home was flooded.
The Interior Ministry reported deaths and injuries in Dakar and the northeastern town of Matam. It said a building had collapsed in the southern town of Kaolack.
More rain expected
Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo said there was a high probability of more rain on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
He also said this week’s start of the school year could be postponed if floodwaters did not recede.
Senegal’s meteorological agency ANACIM said the town of Rufisque, just outside Dakar, and the town of Ranerou in the Matam region had recorded 142 mm of rain in 24 hours. Dakar’s Yoff district recorded 138 mm.
