8 People Died Due To Floods On Sao Vicente Island, Tanjung Verde

UNSPLASH/Kelly Sikkema ILLUSTRATION

Eight people died after flooding on Sao Vicente Island, Tanjung Verde. This condition makes emergency services overwhelmed and major roads cut off.

On Monday morning, heavy rains flushed the northern island of the Atlantic island off the coast of West Africa, submerging roads and sweeping vehicles and people.

City council member Jose Carlos da Luz told state broadcaster seven people died from flooding and one person was electrocuted. It was reported that 3 people were missing

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Associations said the death toll reached nine and said 1,500 people had fled in Sao Vicente.

Sao Vicente typically records 116 millimeters (mm) of rainfall in a year, according to meteorological agency Tanjung Verde. However, on Monday morning, 193 mm fell in just five hours, according to Ester Brito, an executive at the institution.

"This is a rare situation because what is recorded is above our 30-year climatological average," he said.

The US National Storm Center said the Erin Tropical Storm was about 455 km northwest of Tanjung Verde and carried a maximum speed of 75 km/hour.

Interior Minister Palo Rocha said floods disrupted transportation in Sao Vicente and cut off the main road to Cesaria Evora International Airport, although the facility was still operating. Stone avalanches also block traffic.

"That night was difficult, marked by panic and despair," Rocha told public radio, adding that emergency response officers were flooded with emergency calls.

Rescue and cleaning operations are still ongoing, but Rocha said authorities are mobilizing resources that will allow the island to return to normal life soon.