Intense downpours over the weekend triggered extensive flooding throughout Senegal, resulting in multiple fatalities and significant harm to roads, structures and residences, according to confirmation from the Interior Ministry.
Sudden inundations covered sections of the capital Dakar and struck additional areas such as Matam in the northeast and Kaolack in the south. Certain locations measured rainfall exceeding 140 mm within a single day, the national weather service ANACIM reported. Both Rufisque, near Dakar, and Ranerou in the Matam region logged 142 mm, while the Yoff district of Dakar recorded 138 mm.
Officials from the Interior Ministry noted fatalities and injuries, mainly concentrated in Dakar and Matam. In Dakar’s Parcelles Assainies district, a 25-year-old mother and her four-year-old child lost their lives when rising floodwaters filled their residence after a wall gave way. In Matam, one person died and two others sustained injuries in the collapse of a hangar at Gourel Serigne. Investigators are examining a separate building failure in Kaolack that also produced casualties.
The floods halted movement on roads in the capital and surrounding towns, placing strain on Senegal’s infrastructure mere weeks ahead of the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, scheduled to open on 31 October. Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo cautioned that substantial further rain remained likely on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, adding that the school term’s opening might be delayed should the waters fail to subside.
Interior Minister Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé directed the National Fire Brigade together with regional officials to step up relief efforts, evaluate the destruction and support those impacted. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye conveyed sympathy to the families of the deceased and affirmed that the authorities were fully engaged in heightening precautions in vulnerable locations.
Rescue units remain active across the impacted regions while the provisional number of deaths is still being assessed and additional rainfall is anticipated.
Source : Reuters
