Torrential rains sweeping across Angola have killed around 40 people and left at least nine missing, authorities said Tuesday, as communities grapple with widespread devastation.
Flash floods triggered by Saturday’s storm submerged streets and crippled infrastructure in the capital Luanda and the coastal city of Benguela, leaving neighbourhoods waterlogged and vulnerable.
Civil protection officials confirmed thirteen deaths in Luanda province, where the capital lies, while rescue teams continued searching for five people still reported missing.
In Benguela province, authorities recorded twenty-six fatalities and four missing individuals, underscoring the storm’s deadly reach along Angola’s Atlantic coastline and surrounding urban areas.
Separate media reports, citing officials, said at least six additional deaths occurred in the provinces of Cuanza Sul and Malanje following intense rainfall and flooding.
The downpour destroyed more than six hundred homes across Luanda and Benguela, while floodwaters inundated over 9,500 houses, forcing thousands of families into precarious conditions.
Authorities estimated that more than 51,000 people were affected, as damaged roads, disrupted services, and submerged communities complicated relief and recovery operations nationwide.
Emergency teams have begun draining flooded streets and homes, distributing food supplies and drinking water while residents slowly return to damaged neighbourhoods seeking stability.
Officials said conditions were gradually improving, though recovery efforts remain ongoing as displaced families confront the storm’s lingering humanitarian and economic consequences.
Heavy rains are common during southern Africa’s rainy season, yet scientists warn that human-driven climate change is intensifying the frequency, duration, and severity of extreme weather events.
