Torrential rains that pounded Accra on Sunday, May 18, 2025, have claimed three lives in the Adentan municipality.
According to Municipal Chief Executive Ella Esiman Nongo, the fatalities occurred in Lakeside, Nanakrom, and New Legon.
“We lost two people in Lakeside, including a four-year-old girl at Nanakrom and a gentleman around New Legon,” Madam Nongo said in an interview on Citi FM.
The heavy rainfall, which lasted for nearly three hours starting around 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, caused widespread flooding in several communities, including Weija, Kaneshie, Adabraka, Adenta-Dodowa, Tema, and other parts of the capital. The Odaw drain, which channels stormwater through central Accra, overflowed due to the sheer volume of water.
Madam Nongo attributed the severity of the flooding to buildings on waterways, which she said leaves no exit route for water when it rains.
“Because people are building on waterways, there is no exit route for the water when it rains. That’s one of the main challenges we’re facing,” she explained.
Emergency response teams have rescued most stranded residents in the Ashiyie area. However, the MCE is calling for stricter enforcement of building regulations and urgent structural interventions to address the root causes of Accra’s perennial flooding.