Heavy rainfall on Wednesday has flooded two-thirds of Naddellaa Island in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll, the island’s council said.

Faisal Najeeb, a member of the council, said that the island had experienced heavy rain fall for up to 12 hours when it stopped at around 04:00 am on Thursday. He said several homes had been flooded as well, irretrievably damaging property.

“We are talking about our 80 homes, the flooding had damaged furniture and other fixtures while sweeping away handheld items” Najeeb said.

He added that the rainfall was heaviest at midnight, which is when the flooding had spread to most homes, therefore residents had difficulty in taking safety measures.

The military’s rescue forces have been active in the island assisting residents in controlling the flooding.

Wednesday’s turbulent weather across the Maldives had caused several such incidents. Several farms in Thoddoo island in Alifu Alifu atoll had been destroyed while a cyclone hit Addu City, displacing residents.