It is the beginning of the rainy season and the worst of the rain came down in a five-hour period in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Malian capital of Bamako, flooding streets, damaging buildings and sending cars floating down the streets.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Security, Amadou Sangho said the flooding had caused serious damage and rescue teams had been deployed.
Some of the victims said the ministers who visited vowed to send vehicles in order to move them somewhere for the night, adding they also promised to do everything they can.
“We lost all our stuff, the water took everything away, everything we had, water took everything away, we had four dead on our side,” said Awa, a victim.
The government has assured teams are in place to rescue the distressed people calling on residents to be “prudent” in the face of the disaster.
A statement said the flooding claimed a “provisional toll” of 15 dead and two injured while about 300 households were affected in the six communes of Bamako district
Flooding is common in Mali, located in the semi-desert Sahel region
