Flood-related deaths are not uncommon in the West African nation during the rainy season, but according to the Ivorian meteorological agency, the recent rainfall was particularly violent with that more than 200 millimetres in some districts, four times the usual amount in a day.

Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable because of poor storm drainage among homes often built quickly without zoning regulations.

The flooding and landslides have also caused “significant” damage across the city, flooding houses and roads, said the Ivory Coast National Office for Civil Protection. At least 271 people who were trapped after the rains have been successfully rescued, it said.

Officials last year demolished houses built along a lagoon in Abidjan as a measure to prevent deadly floods.