At least thirteen deaths amid flooding in Accra, Ghana.

At least thirteen people have died and a further seven are missing following flooding in the Ghanaian capitol, Accra, following a heavy rainstorm overnight between Sunday 28 and Monday 29 June 2026, with over 38 800 people from more than 7750 households displaced by floodwaters. The worst affected areas of the city is Ga East, where five people are known to have died, and another 2000 people have been displaced from their homes, and Ayawaso Central three people have died and one is missing, while about 3020 people have been displaced. Another three people have died in Tema West, where about 3450 have been displaced. In Ledzokuku one person has died and around 1200 have been displaced by the flooding. 

In Ga Central over 1800 people have been displaced, but there are no reports of any fatalities of missing persons, while in Ga West about 2300 people have been displaced, again with no reports of fatalities or missing persons. About 1850 people have been displaced from their homes in Adentan, while about 6500 have been displaced from  Korle Klottey. About 2620 people have been displaced by flooding in Okaikwei North, while in Okaikwei South the figure is about 3450 people. In Tema Metropolis about 3600 people were displaced, but no casualties have been reported. About 2200 people have been displaced by flooding in La Dadekotopon, and about 1100 in Krowor.

Officials from the Ghanaian National Disaster Management Organisation and soldiers from the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces rescue people trapped by floodwaters in Accra, Ghana. National Disaster Management Organisation.

Outside of Accra, twenty houses are reported to have collapsed due to flooding in the Cape Coast Metropolis, with five people killed inside one of these buildings when it collapsed, and a sixth person drowning in a separate incident. Two people were killed in another building collapse in Mfantsiman, with another person drowning separately, and in Gomoa Central one person was killed in a building collapse and another drowned. Altogether, 58 houses are reported to have been destroyed in Central Region, with flooding also reported in the Volta and Western North regions.

June falls in the middle of the rainy season in Accra, with the city receiving an average of 175 mm of rain during the month. West Africa has a distinct two season climatic cycle, with a cool dry season during the northern winter when prevalent winds blow from the Sahara to the northeast, and a warm rainy season during the northern summer when prevalent winds blow from the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. These warm winds from the Atlantic are laden with moisture, which can be lost rapidly when the air encounters cooler conditions.

Rainfall and prevalent winds during the West African dry and rainy seasons. Encyclopedia Britanica.

However, this year's rains have been far heavier than usual, with 169.2 mm of rain falling in 24 hours on Sunday 28 March, the fourth highest level of rainfall in a single day ever recorded in Ghana, and 593.2 mm of rain falling in June, the wettest month ever recorded in the city. The previous record-holding year was 2002, when 420.6 mm of rain fell in Accra during June, a figure which this year has exceeded by more than the average rainfall for the month. These rising rain levels are linked to greater sea surface temperatures over the Atlantic Ocean as the global climate warms, which leads to greater levels of evaporation from the sea, followed by increased precipitation on land.

Nevertheless, the high rainfall levels are not thought to be the main cause of the flooding which Accra has been suffering this week. Instead, local authorities are blaming the city's lax building controls, which have led to buildings and settlements spreading over and covering up drainage systems, as well as covering areas that were formally open soil with concrete, preventing water from soaking away. This has led to orders fir several illegally built properties to be demolished in the wake of the floods, though local community groups are asking for more consultation before any such plans are implemented, as in the past authorities have demolished properties without any plan to resettle their occupants, resulting in the rebuilding of properties once the authorities have left.

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Twenty six confirmed deaths following landslide in western Kenya.

Twenty six people are now known to have died, with another 25 still missing, after a landslide hit the village of Moror in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in western Kenya on Saturday 1 November 2025. A further 30 people have been airlifted to hospital in the city of Eldorat, about 100 km to the southwest. The event happened following days of heavy rain associated with the area's Short Rainy Season, which typically lasts from mid-October till the end of December. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. 

The aftermath of a landslide in western Kenya, which killed at least 26 people on 1 November 2025. The Times Kenya.

Efforts to search for survivors have been hampered by ongoing heavy rains, with the Kenyan Red Cross reporting that flooding in the area is impeding attempts to reach the area. Kenya typically has two rainy seasons, with the Long Rains, between March and May, often leading to flooding and landslide events, while the Short Rains, between October and December, are typically milder. However, this year's Short Rains have been particularly heavy, leading to a string of landslide and flooding events in Kenya and neighbouring countries. These rising rain levels are linked to the warming of the Indian Ocean, as the global climate warms, which leads to greater levels of evaporation from the sea, followed by increased precipitation on land.

People injured in the 1 November 2025 Moror landslide being airlifted to hospital in the city of Eldorat. Kenyan Red Cross/Reuters.

Upland areas of Kenya have always been prone to landslides, but the problem has become worse in recent years as a rising population has led to more agriculture on hill-slopes, in many areas replacing open woodland where tree roots served to stabilise slopes, and also to more people living in harms ways. 

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Flood at Venezuelan mine kills fourteen miners.

Fourteen miners are believed to have died in a flood at a the Cuatro Easquinas Gold Mine in El Callao in Venezuela on Sunday 11 October 2025. The event has been associated with heavy rains in the area, with local media reporting six hours of rain before the collapse, and caused the main shaft of the mine to collapse, trapping miners in three underground shafts. One miner who escaped reported a 'volcano of water' erupting in the mine, which suggests an underground breach from a flooded deposit. Rescue workers were forced to pump water out of the mine before entering, finding no survivors who had not escaped immediately.

Water being pumped from a mine in El Callao, Venezuela, following a flood on 12 October 2025. AP.

Gold mining is a major industry in Venezuela, but the sector is also notoriously lawless and exploitative, with few safety precautions in place in many mines, and miners often poorly paid and poorly educated. Rumours of forced labour are common, and attempts by law enforcement agencies to impose some order on the sector have been met with resistance, with many mines controlled by politicians, criminal groups, and even militants from neighbouring Colombia. From 2018 to 2023, and then from 2024 onwards, the US has placed an embargo on gold exports from Venezuela, as part of a wider set of economic sanctions against the country. However, this has led to further criminalisation of the sector, with production rates unaltered and a lucrative industry smuggling gold through other nations springing up.

Venezuela has a wet tropical climate with a rainy season that lasts from April 20 November, and flooding and other rainfall-related events are not uncommon. A warming global climate is leading to higher rainfall levels, with flooding and landslides becoming more common, placing strain on the country's already weak infrastructure. 

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Thirteen confirmed deaths and many more missing following collapse at gold mine in Zamfara State, Nigeria.

Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and as many as a hundred more may be trapped underground following a collapse at an artisanal gold mine (gold mine dug with traditional hand tools) at the village of Kadauri in Zamfara State, Nigeria, on Thursday 25 September 2025. Fifteen miners have been pulled from the mine alive since the incident, five of whom are reported to be suffering from a variety of injuries. The incident is thought to have been caused by heavy rains associated with the end of the West African Rainy Season, which can cause sediments to liquefy, destabilising mine pits.

The approximate location of the Kadauri Gold Mine. Google Maps.

West Africa has a distinct two season climatic cycle, with a cool dry season during the northern winter when prevalent winds blow from the Sahara to the northeast, and a warm rainy season during the northern summer when prevalent winds blow from the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. These warm winds from the Atlantic are laden with moisture, which can be lost rapidly when the air encounters cooler conditions, such as when it is pushed up to higher altitudes by the Jos Plateau of central Nigeria and Shebshi Mountains on the border with Cameroon.

Rainfall and prevalent winds during the West African dry and rainy seasons. Encyclopaedia Britanica.

Informal artisanal mining is common in many parts of Africa, including Nigeria, which like may other countries has granted concessions to mining companies in areas where small-scale artisanal mining has traditionally helped to supplement the incomes of subsistence farmers. However, little of the money from such projects tends to reach local communities, which often leads to ill feeling and attempts to continue mining clandestinely, often at night or under other unfavourable conditions, which can put the miners at greater risk.

This is particularly problematic in areas such as Zamfara State, which has been badly impacted by the current political instability in the Sahel Region, with militias and bandit groups from both Nigeria and neighbouring states thought to be active in the region. These groups tend to see locally produced gold as a resource with which to fund their campaigns, leading to clashes between local and outside miners, some miners being forced to work in slave-like conditions to satisfy the demands of militia groups, and a general decline in safety in and around mines. Gold mines in Zamfara are also known to contain unusually high levels of lead, which has led to incidents of lead poisoning among miners and mining communities.

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Over a thousand people feared dead following landslide in the Darfur Region of Sudan.

Over a thousand people are feared to have died following a landslide which hit the village of Tarseen in the Mara Mountains in the Dafur Region of Sudan on Sunday 31 August 2025. The village is reported to have been completely destroyed by the landslide, with only a single known survivor having been found by local rescue teams. A United Nations humanitarian team in Sudan estimates that the village has a permanent population of about 370 people, however the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, a rebel group fighting for independence for Darfur which is the effective authority in the region, has claimed that as over a thousand people may have died, as about 300 families internally displaced by fighting within the region had taken shelter in the remote village.

Local rescue teams searching for survivors following a landslide which destroyed the village of Tarseen in the Darfur Region of Sudan on 31 August 2025. Sudan Liberation Movement/Army/AFP/Getty Images.

The landslide occurred following weeks of heavy rain in the region, associated with the annual wet season of southern Sudan. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. The annual wet season lasts from June to September, and with rain typically falling in a series of extended very heavy rainfall events. This makes the region extremely prone to landslides and flooding, something compounded by the country's week infrastructure and frequent civil conflicts, which make its population extremely vulnerable to such events. Such extreme weather events have become worse in recent years, driven by rising global temperatures, something which is also causing increased aridity in the drier north of the country, further fuelling internal conflicts as different populations compete for resources. 

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