DAKAR GETS A YEAR’S WORTH OF RAIN IN ONE DAY

A torrential downpour in Senegal has caused widespread destruction.

The capital Dakar was hit by a storm over the weekend, and with it a year's worth of rain in a single day.

The Daily Sabah reports that thousands of people have been left homeless as streets turned into rivers as the water kept rising. People were seen carrying their children and belongings on their heads as the water reached chest height.

Al Jazeera reports that the Senegalese government has activated an emergency aid plan to assist those that have lost their homes in this exceptional rainfall.

"We registered 124 millimetres of rain. This is the cumulative we get during the whole rainy season from July to September," Water Minister, Sergined Mbaye Thiam, said.

Meteorologists are forecasting more rain this week, raising concerns of increased flooding in rapidly growing Dakar, where drainage capacity from homes and roads is often poor, reports the Daily Sabah.

Watch the VOA video below to see how much chaos the massive downpour has caused.

Image credits: France24 and Jowhar