Authorities in Burkina Faso announced on Thursday that floods and other natural catastrophes have killed at least nine people and injured 87 others since August.
According to the minutes of a cabinet meeting, more than 20,000 individuals have been affected, and “major damage has been noticed, especially with homes destroyed and public infrastructure damaged.”
According to a statement, nine people were murdered, and 12 of the 87 people injured were in critical condition.
The dead drowned or were crushed in unstable houses, according to Communication Minister Ousseni Tamboura, who is also a government spokeswoman.
The disasters hit one-third of the provinces and 22 towns or cities.
Other Sahel countries also saw torrential rains and floods, such as neighbouring Niger, which has recorded 64 deaths and 70,000 people affected since June.
Tamboura said food, hygiene kits and anti-Covid protection had been distributed in Burkina Faso, as well as funds to help “vulnerable households” repair damage.
The rainy season, from May to mid-October, is often deadly, even when rainfall is moderate, because of poor drainage systems in many homes.
Last year, the government of the former French colony earmarked five billion CFA francs ($9 billion / 7.5 million euros) in emergency funds for flooding victims. Thirteen people died.