Flood Horror in Accra: 4-Year-Old Among 3 De@d, MCE Sounds Alarm

Residents of Adentan and parts of Accra are mourning after heavy rains on Sunday, May 18, claimed the lives of three people in a devastating flood.

Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Ella Esiman Nongo confirmed the tragic news in an interview with Citi FM on Monday morning.

The torrential rain, which lasted for almost three hours starting around 3 p.m., quickly overwhelmed drainage systems and flooded key roads, homes, and neighborhoods.

Among the victims were two people in Lakeside, a four-year-old girl in Nanakrom, and a man in New Legon.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Madam Nongo said. “In Lakeside, we lost two people. One was a child in Nanakrom, and another was a gentleman from New Legon.”

The floods didn’t just affect Adentan. Other parts of Accra, including Weija, Kaneshie, Adabraka, Tema, and the Adenta-Dodowa stretch, were also submerged. Major storm drains, like the Odaw drain, overflowed, stranding residents and halting traffic.

Emergency teams managed to rescue several people from the Ashiyie area, but many communities remain at risk. The MCE blamed much of the disaster on the growing trend of construction on waterways.

“People are building on the paths where water is supposed to flow,” Madam Nongo said. “When the rains come, there’s nowhere for the water to go, and the result is what we’re seeing now.”

She stressed the urgent need for action, including the enforcement of building regulations and structural improvements to help manage future rainfall.

“If we don’t stop this indiscipline and enforce our planning laws, more lives will be lost. We can’t afford to wait any longer,” she warned.

Sunday’s tragedy is yet another painful reminder of Accra’s long-standing flood challenges. With the rainy season just beginning, many fear worse could be yet to come unless authorities move swiftly.

Relief efforts are underway for families affected, and damage assessments are expected to follow in the coming days. The MCE has urged residents to stay alert, especially those in flood-prone areas.