Abidjan, July 01 (QNA) - 59 people have died in floods that have struck Cote d'Ivoire since mid-May, coinciding with the start of this year's exceptionally heavy rainy season.
After a cabinet meeting, government spokesman Amadou Coulibaly expressed his regret over the "high death toll of 59 people this year, even though we are only at the beginning of the rainy season."
Abidjan, with a population of more than six million, frequently experiences heavy rains and flash floods.
For years, the government has been carrying out evictions and demolitions, often accompanied by violence, saying it is targeting precarious neighborhoods in flood-prone zones.
Coulibaly stated that there had been no deaths recorded in at-risk areas where residents have complied with the government's safety guidelines and agreed to relocate. (QNA)