One dead, hundreds displaced by flooding in northern Ghana — A farmer stands by a waterway in Ghana’s Upper West region, where severe flooding displaced hundreds on Friday, August 20, 2021. (Creative Commons / CIAT / Neil Palmer)

Heavy flooding in northern Ghana’s Upper West region claimed one life and displaced hundreds, officials confirmed Saturday.

Ahmed Mustapha, the Regional Coordinator for the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), said an 80-year-old woman died and 19 communities were submerged under floods following a heavy downpour on Friday.

“At least 323 people were displaced as 101 houses in the Wa East District were destroyed in the floods, and we are still on the field now assessing the damage,” Mustapha said.

He said the Ghana Red Cross Society had approached the NADMO with a pledge to support the displaced persons with temporary shelter.