Death toll rises to 9 after Cape Verde storm

16/8/2025 12:31

The death toll from floods caused by a storm on Cape Verde's island of Sao Vicente has risen to nine, local authorities said Friday.



Cape Verde's government has declared two days of national mourning and a six-month state of emergency on three islands after the storm struck Monday night, leaving widespread destruction.



Heavy rainfall could hit parts of the archipelago from Saturday, with the southern islands of Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava expected to be most affected, the National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics (INMG) warned.



"The country will be under the influence of a tropical wave, with some intensification from midnight on Aug. 17," the INMG said in a statement, forecasting rainfall of varying intensity, sometimes accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds, initially in the south and later across the archipelago.



The ninth victim, a 79-year-old man, was among three people reported missing after the storm. His body was found Wednesday, said Vitoria Verissimo, spokesperson for the National Civil Protection and Fire Service.



Houses, roads and bridges were destroyed, and entire neighborhoods were submerged. Several countries have expressed solidarity, and a Portuguese navy vessel arrived Friday to deliver humanitarian aid.