Thousands of people have been rescued by the Ghanaian navy and other teams after major dams spilled excess water amid heavy rains.

Akosombo and Kpong dams overflowed, causing heavy flooding in the Volta region. More than 8,000 people have been rescued.

According to local media, the navy evacuated over 8,000 flood victims to safe havens.

As well as responding to distress calls, Commodore EA Kwafo said they were keeping an eye on critical infrastructure.

The rescue effort had been aided by “more boats downstream and experienced divers and lifesavers” and more resources would be made available as needed.

Volta River Authority officials said “controlled spillage” of the dams began about a month ago.

Several communities in the Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions have been affected by the flooding.

So far, at least 12,000 people have been displaced by the floods.