The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has confirmed that at least 12 people have died while nearly 500 others have been rescued following widespread flooding that swept through several parts of the Greater Accra Region after Monday’s intense rainfall, marking one of the most severe urban flood emergencies in recent years.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM Midday News on Tuesday, June 30, a member of the GNFS Public Relations Team, Alex King Nartey, disclosed that fire officers and emergency rescue personnel have been engaged in continuous operations since the onset of the flooding, working through the night and into the following days to evacuate stranded residents from submerged communities.
According to him, nearly 500 people were successfully rescued between Sunday and Monday alone, as floodwaters rapidly engulfed homes, streets, and commercial areas, leaving many residents trapped with limited means of escape.
He explained that rescue operations were concentrated in several high impact zones, including Tse Addo and Odawna, which recorded some of the highest numbers of displaced individuals due to the severity of inundation.
At Tse Addo alone, about 105 people were rescued, while approximately 300 individuals were evacuated from the Odawna area, where floodwaters rose quickly and cut off major access routes. Additional emergency interventions were also carried out in Dome, Kwabenya, Adenta, Anyaa, and Ablekuma, where residents were similarly affected by rising waters and infrastructure failure.
Mr. Nartey confirmed that the death toll currently stands at 12, though he cautioned that the figure remains provisional as search and recovery operations are still ongoing across multiple communities.
“Unfortunately, we lost about 12 people. That’s the number that I can confirm,” he stated.
He provided a detailed breakdown of the confirmed fatalities, noting that two bodies, a mother and her child, were recovered from Alogboshie, while one death was recorded at Achimota. Alajo recorded two fatalities, Odawna accounted for four deaths, and two additional deaths were confirmed at Tema Newtown.
Despite these confirmed figures, he warned that the total number of casualties could rise as rescue teams continue to assess newly reported cases and inaccessible flood zones.
“I won’t be surprised if the number is more than what I’m mentioning. These are the figures I can verify from our team and our collaborating agencies,” he explained, adding that verification processes remain ongoing to ensure accuracy before any official update is released.
He also noted that while several individuals sustained minor injuries during the disaster, no severe or life threatening injuries had been recorded. Most of those affected were treated and discharged shortly after receiving medical attention.
Emergency teams, he further revealed, are still actively conducting search operations, including efforts to locate at least one elderly person reported missing in Tema Newtown.
The GNFS maintains that its operations will continue in coordination with other emergency agencies until all missing persons are accounted for and affected communities are stabilised, as Ghana continues to grapple with one of its most widespread and destructive urban flood events in recent memory.
