Nigeria, Abuja
CNN
–
Authorities in northern Niger state in northern Nigeria say more than 100 people have been killed after heavy rain floods were caused, primarily a vibrant market town of the agricultural nation.
Ibrahim Husseini, a spokesman for the state’s Emergency Management Department, told CNN that 115 bodies, including “many children” groups, were recovered at 3pm (10am) on Friday.
He added that deaths are expected to rise as rescuers search for more bodies.
The West African Countries Disaster Relief Agency (NEMA) said in a previous announcement that the floods hit Mokwa’s Kpege district early on Thursday, “when residents were mostly asleep.”
The Niger state government said the “fatal flood disaster” destroyed two communities in the town that led to “many lives” and “buildings submerged” “after hours of intense downpours.”
The incident was described as “sad, heartbreaking, pathetic.”
Northern Nigeria is prone to annual flooding, which often leads to death and evacuation.
Last year, several weeks of flooding across the region occurred, killing more than 386,000 people and evacuating more than 386,000 people, according to NEMA data.
The region was also affected in 2022, when Nigeria recorded its worst flooding in over a decade.
Over 600 people were killed nationwide during the incident and more than 1 million people were kicked out of their homes.
