Torrential rains have caused deadly flooding on Cape Verde’s São Vicente island, leaving at least eight people dead and several others missing, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The floods, triggered by intense rainfall on Monday morning, overwhelmed emergency services, swept away vehicles and people, and cut off major roads on the northern island of the Atlantic archipelago off West Africa.
Jose Carlos da Luz, a municipal civil protection councillor, told state media that seven people died in the floods, while one person was electrocuted. Three individuals remain unaccounted for.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), however, reported a slightly higher death toll of nine and said around 1,500 people have been displaced by the disaster.
In a striking anomaly, São Vicente — which typically receives just 116 mm of rainfall annually — recorded 193 mm in only five hours, according to Ester Brito, an executive at Cape Verde’s meteorological institute.
Emergency response teams continue search and rescue operations, as authorities assess the full scale of the damage and displacement.
