Queues of cars on the flooded Naameh highway, south of Beirut, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Courtesy of: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Heavy rainfall and bad weather left many roads throughout Lebanon impassable on Monday morning.
Images circulated on social networks, showing lines of cars on roads where the asphalt is no longer visible because of water. The Naameh highway, south of Beirut, was very congested due to flooding, and in Saida, South Lebanon, "most private schools have closed because of the bad weather conditions," L'Orient Today correspondent in the area reported.
Similar scenes were also seen on the main road at Dbayeh, north of Beirut, where cars are cutting through the water to move forward. The state-run National News Agency reported that in Jounieh, also north of the capital, members of the Civil Defense helped evacuate passengers trapped in a van sunk in the floodwaters. In Choueifat, south of Beirut, a fallen tree blocked traffic on a road.
Heavy rainfall regularly leads to flooding and traffic chaos in Lebanon. Last November, a man died in Kesrouan when he was swept away by floodwaters.
Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah