Flash floods triggered by torrential rains in Niger State have killed at least 115 people, with many more feared missing, emergency officials said on Friday.
The flooding, which struck late Wednesday, swept through the city of Mokwa and surrounding areas, destroying dozens of homes and submerging entire communities.
“We have so far recovered 115 bodies, and the toll is likely to rise as more victims are being pulled from the River Niger,” said Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency. “Some were buried under collapsed buildings. We need excavators to retrieve bodies still trapped in the rubble.”
Earlier in the day, a provisional death toll stood at 88. Rescuers are still combing through debris and riverbanks for survivors and the missing. One family reportedly lost eight out of twelve members.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw rescue teams searching through collapsed homes as floodwaters surged past. Displaced residents, including children playing in the murky water, face growing risks of waterborne disease.
“We lost at least 15 from this house. The property is gone. We lost everything,” said Mohammed Tanko, a civil servant.
Fisherman Danjuma Shaba, now homeless, said he has been sleeping in a car park. “My house has already collapsed,” he said.
The floods come as Nigeria’s rainy season begins in earnest. Poor drainage, construction on waterways, and waste-blocked channels worsen flooding across the country. Climate change has also been linked to the increasing frequency of such extreme weather events.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of potential flash floods in 15 states, including Niger, between Wednesday and Friday.
In 2024, more than 1,200 people died and over 1.2 million were displaced in one of Nigeria’s worst flood disasters in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
AFP
