The city morgue at the Connaught Hospital has been overwhelmed by the influx of victims in what is one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit Africa in recent years.
Flooding is not unusual in the region,
which is experiencing its rainy season.
But this year has been particularly wet, with Freetown receiving more than 27 inches of rain in between July 1 and August 13 - more than double the average of 11.8 inches, according to the US National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center.
Nonetheless, rights group Amnesty International said, the authorities could have done more to avert the crisis.
“While flooding is a natural disaster, the scale of the human tragedy in Freetown is, sadly, very much man made” said MakmidKamara, the organization’s deputy Director of global Issues.
“The authorities should have learned lessons from previous similar incidents and put in place systems to prevent, or at least minimize, the consequences of these disasters. Devastating floods are now an annual occurrence in the country’s capital. Yet, due to a lack of regulation and sufficient
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