Violent Pakistan storms trigger floods, landslides killing 10
Four women and a man died in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and three in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the State Disaster Management Authority said, while other officials said two died in Punjab.
"One person is still missing," Haroon Rasheed, a senior government official in Pakistan administered Kashmir told AFP, adding that 12 houses and a mosque were destroyed in one village.
Storms on Saturday killed at least 14 people and injured over 100 more across the country, which is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events blamed on climate change.
Stormy weather is expected to continue in northern and central parts of the country until Saturday, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Soaring temperatures in April and May are becoming more common in Pakistan, which usually sees summer begin in early June.
Temperatures reached near-record levels in April -- as high as 46.5 Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) in parts of Punjab.
Schools in Punjab and southwestern Balochistan provinces have closed early for summer vacations because of the heat.
© 2025 AFP
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Rescuers fan out after Nigeria flooding kills more than 150
The sharp rise in the toll came as bodies were recovered nearly 10 kilometres (six miles) away from the town, where more than 250 buildings were levelled and two bridges were swept away, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, told AFP. Husseini warned the toll could rise further, with bodies being swept down the powerful Niger River. Gideon Adamu, head of the Red Cross in Niger state, told AFP search teams were heading toward Jebba, on the opposite side of the waterway's swampy banks. Mokwa was hit by torrential rains Wednesday night into Thursday, with the flooding displacing more than 3,000, Husseini said. There were 121 injured in hospital, Adamu said, while more than 100 people were missing. Nigeria's rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the west African country. Scientists have also warned that climate change is fuelling more extreme weather patterns. 'We can't give up' Roads were still inundated in Mokwa on Friday, an AFP journalist observed, with Husseini saying his team would need excavators to reach bodies feared buried under the rubble. Residents in the town, some 350 kilometres by road from the capital Abuja, were still searching for loved ones. In some cases, families were missing a dozen people. Adamu, the Red Cross chief, told AFP "we can't give up the search as long as there are families crying out". "If there were some bodies that were carried away by the flooding, we'll find them in the farmland on the Jebba side." According to a tally shared by Husseini, 151 people were killed, 3,018 were displaced, 265 houses were destroyed and two bridges were washed away in the busy, rural market town. Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, pointed to a house he grew up in, telling reporters Friday: "We lost at least 15 from this house. The property (is) gone. We lost everything." Floods in Nigeria are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels. "This tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the critical importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear," the National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. Complicating the search for missing persons was the presence of a large group of travellers staying overnight in a Mokwa mosque when the rains hit, Adamu said. The building collapsed and it was still unknown where the people had been travelling from. President Bola Tinubu said the disaster response was being aided by security forces. - Warning sounded - The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and Friday. In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria's 36 states, making it one of the country's worst flood seasons in decades, according to NEMA. Describing how she escaped the raging waters, Sabuwar Bala, a 50-year-old yam vendor, told reporters: "I was only wearing my underwear, someone loaned me all I'm wearing now. I couldn't even save my flip-flops." "I can't locate where my home stood because of the destruction," she said.
France 24
13 hours ago
- France 24
Flash floods in central Nigeria kill at least 115 people
Flash floods that ripped through parts of central Nigeria have killed at least 115 people and injured dozens of others, emergency services officials said on Friday, with the toll expected to rise further. Teams of rescuers continued to search for missing residents after torrential rains late on Wednesday through early Thursday washed away and submerged dozens of homes in and around the town of Mokwa, located on the banks of Niger River, in Niger state. "We have so far recovered 115 bodies and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far distance and washed people into the River Niger," Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, told AFP. "Downstream, bodies are still being recovered. So, the toll keeps rising," he added. He said many were still missing, citing a family of 12 where only four members have been accounted for. "Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes," he said, adding that his teams would need excavators to retrieve corpses from under the rubble. At least 78 people have been hospitalised with injuries, the Red Cross chief for the state, Gideon Adamu, told AFP. According to the Daily Trust newspaper, thousands of people have been displaced and more than 50 children in an Islamic school were reported missing. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) described it as an "unprecedented flood". The police and military have been roped in to help with the disaster response. Mokwa, nearly 380km west of Abuja, is a major meeting point where traders from the south buy beans, onions and other food from farmers in the north. Communities in northern Nigeria have been experiencing prolonged dry spells worsened by climate change and excessive rainfall that leads to severe flooding during the brief wet season. Mokwa community leader Aliki Musa told the Associated Press the villagers are not used to such flooding. 'The water is like spiritual water which used to come but it's seasonal,' he said. 'It can come now (and) it will reach another twenty years before coming again." 'We lost everything' Local media reported that more than 5,000 people have been left homeless, while the Red Cross said two major bridges in the town were torn apart. Displaced children played in the flood waters, heightening the possibility of exposure to water-borne diseases as at least two bodies lay covered in banana leaves and printed ankara cloth. An emotional woman in a maroon headscarf sat with tears dripping down her face. Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, pointed to a house he grew up in, telling reporters: "We lost at least 15 from this house. The property (is) gone. We lost everything." Fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, said he slept rough in a car park. "I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed," he said. Describing how she escaped the raging waters, Sabuwar Bala, 50, a yam vendor, said: "I was only wearing my underwear, someone loaned me all I'm wearing now. I couldn't even save my flip-flops." "I can't locate where my home stood because of the destruction," she said. Nigeria's rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the west African country. Scientists have also warned that climate change is already fuelling more extreme weather patterns. In Nigeria, the floods are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels. "This tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the critical importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear," said NEMA in a statement. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and Friday. In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria's 36 states, making it one of the country's worst flood seasons in decades, according to NEMA.
LeMonde
21 hours ago
- LeMonde
Central Nigeria floods kill more than 115: 'The toll keeps rising,' officials say
Flash floods that ripped through parts of central Nigeria have killed at least 115 people and injured dozens of others, emergency services officials said on Friday, May 30, with the toll expected to rise further. Teams of rescuers continued to search for missing residents after torrential rains late on Wednesday through early Thursday washed away and submerged dozens of homes in and around the town of Mokwa, located on the banks of Niger River, in Niger state. "We have so far recovered 115 bodies and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far distance and washed people into the River Niger," Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, told AFP. "Downstream, bodies are still being recovered. So, the toll keeps rising." He said many were still missing, citing a family of 12 where only four members have been accounted for. "Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes," he said, adding that his teams would need excavators to retrieve corpses from under the rubble. At least 78 people have been hospitalized with injuries, the Red Cross chief for the state, Gideon Adamu, told AFP. According to the Daily Trust newspaper, thousands of people have been displaced and more than 50 children in an Islamic school were reported missing. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) described it as an "unprecedented flood." The police and military have been roped in to help with the disaster response. An AFP journalist in Mokwa, more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the capital Abuja, saw emergency services conducting search and rescue operations with residents going through the rubble of flattened buildings as flood waters flowed alongside. 'We lost everything' Local media reported that more than 5,000 people have been left homeless, while the Red Cross said two major bridges in the town were torn apart. Displaced children played in the flood waters, heightening the possibility of exposure to water-borne diseases as at least two bodies lay covered in banana leaves and printed ankara cloth. An emotional woman in a maroon headscarf sat with tears dripping down her face. Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, pointed to a house he grew up in, telling reporters: "We lost at least 15 from this house. The property (is) gone. We lost everything." Fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, said he slept rough in a car park. "I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed," he said. Describing how she escaped the raging waters, Sabuwar Bala, 50, a yam vendor, said: "I was only wearing my underwear, someone loaned me all I'm wearing now. I couldn't even save my flip-flops." "I can't locate where my home stood because of the destruction," she said. Nigeria's rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the West African country. Scientists have also warned that climate change is already fuelling more extreme weather patterns. In Nigeria, the floods are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels. "This tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the critical importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear," said NEMA in a statement. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and Friday. In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria's 36 states, making it one of the country's worst flood seasons in decades, according to NEMA.
