A person wades through floodwaters, in Accra, Ghana, in this still image taken from a video, June 29, 2026.
At least 12 people have died after Ghana’s worst single-day downpour in years plunged the capital into crisis, with rescue crews still searching flooded neighbourhoods across Accra. The Ghana National Fire Service said the victims include three women, eight men and one child, warning that the death toll could still rise as reports from affected communities continue to come in.
President John Dramani Mahama blamed the disaster on an unusually intense weather event rather than planning failures. He said about 140 millimetres of rain fell on Accra, more than double the city’s highest single-day rainfall in 2025 of roughly 56 millimetres. Posting on X, Mahama said the sharp increase reflected the growing impact of climate change and described the rainfall as the result of shifting weather patterns beyond the government’s control.
More than 470 people have been rescued from rising floodwaters by joint emergency teams, with operations focused on some of Accra’s hardest-hit areas, including Alajo, Circle, Kaneshie, Madina and parts of Spintex Road, where homes and vehicles were submerged. Hours of relentless rain overwhelmed drainage systems, cut off major roads and left thousands of commuters stranded. At the Circle transport terminal, bus drivers and conductors climbed onto the roofs of submerged vehicles to wait for the water to recede.
The flooding has also disrupted life across the capital. The University of Ghana suspended lectures and urged students to remain indoors, while the Ghana School of Law postponed scheduled examinations over safety concerns. Elsewhere, a fire broke out at the Odawna Rubber Market near Kwame Nkrumah Circle as floodwaters slowed firefighters’ response. The blaze was eventually brought under control without any reported casualties.
Accra’s vulnerability to flooding during the rainy season is well documented. Poor drainage, unauthorised construction along waterways and weak urban planning have long been blamed for turning heavy rain into citywide disasters. WaterAid Ghana country director Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur said the latest floods were part of a growing pattern driven by climate change and rapid, unplanned urbanisation.
“What we are witnessing in Accra is not an isolated weather event, but part of a pattern intensified by climate change and rapid, unplanned urbanisation,” she said. “The city needs stronger urban planning and preparedness measures to safeguard communities before, during and after extreme weather events.”
As the emergency unfolded, the government announced it would release 300 million cedis (about $27 million) for flood relief. Mahama also directed the Ghana Armed Forces and police to support the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other emergency agencies in rescue and relief operations. Authorities urged residents to avoid flooded roads and waterways and move to higher ground if their homes are at risk. Forecasters have warned that another storm system is expected to move across southern Ghana, raising the risk of more flooding as recovery efforts continue.
Monday’s disaster has drawn inevitable comparisons with the 2015 floods, when rising waters triggered an explosion at a fuel station in Accra that killed about 150 people. It remains the city’s deadliest flood-related tragedy.
Ghana is not the only country grappling with severe weather this week. Neighbouring Ivory Coast has also been hit by heavy rains. Authorities have yet to confirm an official death toll, but a source close to firefighters and the country’s interior minister said about 20 people are believed to have died.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah