Nineteen people have died in Ivory Coast this month after several heavy rains hit the economic capital Abidjan, which has been hit by an intense rainy season, the presidency said Thursday.

A statement issued after a national security council meeting announced "a tragic toll" of 19 dead, five injured and widespread property damage in several districts of greater Abidjan.

Two nights of heavy rains hit Abidjan on June 16 and 22, causing floods and deadly landslides.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara, "after noting that Ivory Coast, like many countries in the world, is prone to the harmful consequences of climate change, has strongly urged the population to leave areas at risk", the statement said.

An operation to evacuate some 50 areas threatened by landslides was launched in early June, as the rainy season kicked off in Ivory Coast.

The extreme weather has prompted the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for next June and July, to January and February 2024, a drier period.

The scenario of torrential rains followed by devastating floods is recurrent in the largest Ivorian city.

Construction in flood-prone areas, often inhabited by poor people, is rampant in the fast-growing west African metropolis of more than five million people.

June is traditionally the rainiest month of the year, with an average rainfall of around 300 millimetres (1.2 inches).

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