A deluge that battered Mogadishu, Somalia‘s capital, overnight on Friday has left at least seven people dead and caused widespread destruction, with major roads submerged and entire neighborhoods isolated. Authorities say the city’s strained drainage systems, coupled with its swelling population, were no match for the downpour.
Rescue operations were still underway Saturday, according to Abdinasir Hirsi Idle, a spokesperson for the regional administration.
“The death toll could rise because the rains were heavy and lasted for several hours, causing nine houses to collapse across different neighborhoods, and at least six major roads to suffer severe damage,” he told The Associated Press.
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Somalia is no stranger to environmental extremes, with the country regularly oscillating between crippling droughts and devastating floods. This latest storm hammered the capital for approximately eight hours, flooding homes and streets with water that reached waist height in some areas.
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Residents recounted a harrowing night. Some found refuge on rooftops, including Mohamed Hassan, who described the ordeal to the AP.
“We spent the night on rooftops, shivering from the cold, and I haven’t even had breakfast,” he said. “Some older people were still trapped.”
The storm also left its mark on critical infrastructure. Floodwaters halted public transit and briefly closed Aden Abdulle International Airport, though airport officials later confirmed that flights had resumed.
While the Somali Disaster Management Agency has yet to provide a confirmed casualty count, it said assessments were in progress to gauge the full scale of the destruction.
Meanwhile, the energy and water ministry issued a public alert.
“A substantial amount of rainfall, exceeding 115 mm, was recorded in over 8 consecutive hours,” the statement said, warning that other regions could face similar flash flooding in the coming days.
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