Daily SumUp

At least seven people were killed and several others displaced by flash flooding following a heavy downpour in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Friday night, a government official said on Saturday.

Saleh Omar Hassan, a spokesperson for the mayor of Mogadishu, said several houses were destroyed and some roads damaged by the heavy rains, which triggered flash floods.

"The intense and prolonged downpour has triggered flash floods, resulting in the loss of seven lives and the destruction of homes and property," he said, noting that the torrential rains rendered several key roads impassable, paralyzing transport in the city and its environs.

Hassan said emergency response teams have been activated to mitigate the impact of the seasonal rains and flooding by deploying water pumps to drain flood-prone areas.

He said six major roads were damaged by the heavy rains, which also inundated the homes of more than 200 families.

One week prior to the floods, the United Nations called for immediate emergency assistance to help 45,000 people affected by flooding across Somalia.