At least four people have been killed in Tunisia after the heaviest rainfall in the country for more than 70 years caused flooding.

All four people were killed in Moknine in the Monastir governorate on Tuesday, according to Khalil Mechri, a civil defence spokesperson.

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The flooding has disrupted daily life in multiple governorates in Tunisia, leaving cars submerged and emergency services struggling to respond to the scale of the disaster.

Civil protection teams have also said that several areas were cut off by the floodwaters, especially in low-lying neighbourhoods.

Abderazak Rahal, head of forecasting at the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), told the AFP news agency that some regions in the country had not witnessed this much rain since 1950.

“We have recorded exceptional amounts of rainfall for the month of January,” Rahal said, with the regions of Monastir, Nabeul and greater Tunis the most affected.

Another INM official, Mahrez Ghannouchi, wrote in a Facebook post that the situation was “critical” in some regions.

According to the INM, the tourist village of Sidi Bou Said, on the outskirts of Tunis, recorded 206mm (8.1 inches) of rain since Monday evening.

AFP is reporting, quoting a Defence Ministry source, that the army is also taking part in rescue operations.

Schools have been shut in the capital as well as the towns of Nabeul, Sousse and Beja. Court sessions were also suspended, and public and private transport was impacted in some districts.

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