At least seven people have died after heavy rains triggered flooding in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Friday night, inundating homes and streets and cutting off key roads, officials said Saturday. The flooding, caused by an overwhelmed drainage system amid rapid urban expansion, left waist-high waters in multiple neighborhoods and forced residents to seek shelter on rooftops and higher ground. The rains lasted for nearly eight hours. Abdinasir Hirsi Idle, spokesperson for the regional administration, told The Associated Press that nine houses collapsed and six major roads suffered severe damage. He said rescue operations were underway and warned that the death toll could rise. "Some people are still trapped, and we are doing our best to reach them," Idle said. Somalia is prone to climate-related disasters, including both prolonged droughts and devastating floods. Friday's deluge is the latest in a series of extreme weather events that have battered the country's fragile infrastructure. Resident Mohamed Hassan described spending the night on a rooftop in cold conditions. "We spent the night on rooftops, shivering from the cold, and I haven't even had breakfast," he said. He added that some elderly individuals were still awaiting rescue. Floodwaters also disrupted key services. Public transportation was halted and operations at Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle International Airport were temporarily suspended before resuming later in the day, officials confirmed. The Somali Disaster Management Agency has not released an official death toll but said assessments are ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage. In a statement, the Ministry of Energy and Water reported that over 115 mm of rain fell in just over eight hours and warned that flash floods may occur in other regions beyond the capital. — Agencies
