(Seychelles News Agency) - La Digue, Seychelles' third most populous island has declared a minor emergency after heavy flash floods. La Passe, Anse Reunion and L'Union Estate were affected. Witnesses told SNA that water levels reached knee height.

The Seychelles Met Office recorded 220 millimeters of rainfall, more than half the average monthly rainfall for January, which fell within a 7 hour period causing flooding in the plateau areas, with several houses and shops in the low lying areas inundated. The island's only school has closed for the day. The emergency services are pumping water from the flooded areas as well as removing blockages in the drainage system.

Hotels and guesthouses on the island remain open for business on this popular island renowned for its tranquility and the friendliness of its people. On this rainy day, tourists were however unable to ride their bicycles around the island, especially in the area of l'Union Estate, which leads to Anse Source D’Argent beach, ranked by CNN.com as the 4th best beach of the World's 100 best beaches.

File photo: Anse Source d'Argent (Vesna Krstic, Seychelles News Agency) Photo license: CC BY-SA

La Digue island was affected by similar flooding at the end of January last year, following the passage of Tropical Storm Felleng. January is the peak month of the Seychelles rainy season as well as the peak of the Cyclone Season over the Southwest Indian Ocean; however these storms rarely affect the Seychelles main granitic islands as they remain outside the cyclone belt.