Torrential rain and flash flood have affected thousands of people in different communities across the Gambia, Coordinator of National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Binta Sey Jadama said on Wednesday.

According to the official, the torrential rain that lasted for more than 24 hours Monday through Tuesday night, has inundated several households, causing temporal displacement and the destruction of properties and foodstuff in the tiny West African nation.

In Churchill's Town in the Greater Banjul area, roads were not accessible due to the heavy downpour. Vehicles, motor bicycles and pedestrians were swerved away by floods, but so far no death has been reported yet.

The drainage system which was dug to mitigate flood was completely blocked and the main bridge toward the Tourism Development Area was also submerged, which halt the traffic for more than two hours.

Rescue workers, including Red Cross, Police and officials of the National Road Authority (NRA), spent the rest of the day draining the water.

In Upper River Region of the Gambia, the main river that divides the region into two parts was overflooded and ran into the market area in Basse, which affected many residents and vendors.

According to the meteorological data, the heavy rain recorded unprecedented volume of 101.2 milliliters. In the past two years, flooding caused millions of dollars in losses in the Gambia and also reduced the earnings of many farmers in the country.