Torrential rains in central Nigeria on Wednesday triggered flooding and widespread damage. Rescuers say the death toll has gone up to 88 people.
After torrential rains earlier in the week, flood waters have swept away more than 50 homes in the market town of Mokwa in the central Niger state.
The head of the operations office in the Niger state capital Minna, Husseini Isah, said rescue efforts were still ongoing on Friday, but many people were still at risk.
“The number keeps rising,” Isah told the Associated Press. “But at the last count, 88 bodies have been recovered.”
Earlier in the day, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesperson for the Niger state emergency management agency (SEMA) told AFP he “expected the toll to rise considerably because there are different rescuers at different locations.”
Why is flooding so dangerous in Nigeria?
Mokwa is a key local hub for traders from the south of the country and farmers from the north.
The flooding was triggered by several hours of heavy rain, with the collapse of a nearby damn exacerbating the situation.
Nigeria’s Meteorological Agency warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria’s 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday.
Nigeria’s rainy season has only just started and normally lasts around six months.
The annual occurrence regularly kills hundreds of people. A lack of drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels all make the flooding worse.
Nigeria suffered one of its worst disasters in decades in 2024, with flooding killing more than 1,200 people and displacing another 1.2 million.
The flooding, which impacted 31 of the country’s 36 states, also destroyed more than 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) of farmland.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery, Zac Crellin
DW
