This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital, was hit by a three-hour downpour in the middle of the day, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
According to the city's firefighters, two people died in the devastation, but a journalist, Thomas Diego, claimed to have seen the body of a third victim.
"In half an hour, the water rose a metre and a half (five feet). We had to take refuge on the roof of our house as a torrent ran down the street," Thomas Diego told AFP.
The wealthy eastern area of Cite Reconciliation, where Diego's production company is located, was severely affected, with mud covering the streets and cars being swept away.
The area's four-metre-high metal entrance gate was torn off, and the walls of houses collapsed, leaving residents to survey the damage.
Residents, armed with brooms and mops, were seen trying to inspect and fix the damage by the afternoon.
"Everything is ruined inside," said one resident, Acket.
"We don't know where to go now, we can't sleep in the house, we turn to God," lamented another resident, Kevin Brou.
The flooding is the latest blow to the city, which has experienced landslides and floods during its rainy season, which began in May and normally lasts until the end of July.
Abidjan, home to over five million people, has a history of flooding, with 18 people dying in the city during flooding in June 2018.
Following those floods, the authorities destroyed the housing in the most vulnerable parts of the city.
