Flash floods in Mauritius capital kills 11

April 01, 2013 04:58 pm | Updated 04:59 pm IST - PORT LOUIS

Officials say flash floods blamed on climate change killed at least 11 people in the capital of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.

Officials said most drowned in rivers of water that rose swiftly on Saturday in a pedestrian underpass and an underground car park.

Torrential downpours slammed Port Louis. The meteorological office reported 152mm (6 inches) of rain fell in less than an hour. It warned there could be more storms.

Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam declared Monday a day of mourning. Speaking on national radio on Sunday he blamed climate change for the floods.

National TV showed people clinging to each other as they waded through hip-high water in a central street. L’Express newspaper showed cars floating away.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.