Flash flooding kills dozens in Nigeria
NewsFeed Flash flooding kills dozens in Nigeria
Rescuers in Nigeria are continuing to recover bodies after flash flooding killed at least 36 people. Torrential rain swept away more than 50 homes in Niger state.
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Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Nigeria floods death toll crosses 150 as thousands displaced
More than 150 people have been killed and thousands displaced after floods devastated parts of central Nigeria, local authorities said, as rescue teams continue to recover bodies and search for the missing. The flooding struck the rural town of Mokwa in Niger State following torrential rains that began late on Wednesday and continued into Thursday. The death toll has risen to 151 after more bodies were recovered nearly 10km (6 miles) from Mokwa, said Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) on Saturday. At least 3,018 people have been displaced, while 265 houses were 'completely destroyed' in the floods, he said, adding that many victims were believed to have been swept down the Niger River, warning that the toll could still Bola Tinubu extended his condolences overnight and said search-and-rescue operations were ongoing with the support of Nigeria's security forces. 'Relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay,' he wrote in a post on social media. 'We lost everything, the families. We don't have anywhere else to go, the property has gone,' Mohammed Tanko, a local, told Al Jazeera. 'We lost at least 15 from this house.' Another survivor said: 'I escaped with only my nightdress. Right now, I can't even identify where our home used to be.' Meteorologists warn that more rain is expected in the coming days, raising fears of further flooding across the region. Flooding is a regular threat during Nigeria's six-month rainy season, but experts say the frequency and severity of these disasters are increasing due to climate change, unregulated construction, and poor drainage infrastructure. 'Flooding has become an annual event, between the months of April and October,' Ugonna Nkwunonwo, a flood risk analyst at the University of Nigeria, told Al Jazeera. He warned that while flood risks have long been identified, 'there has not been much political power to implement this change'. 'This flooding is a result of climate change, which is affecting the frequency and intensity of rainfall,' he said. 'The amount of rain you expect in a year could probably come in one or two months, and people are not prepared for that kind of rainfall.' Last year, more than 1,200 people died and up to two million were displaced by similar disasters across Nigeria. '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.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
More than 100 killed in heavy Nigeria flooding, rescue efforts ongoing
At least 115 people have been killed after heavy flooding submerged the market town of Mokwa in Nigeria's northcentral Niger State, destroying thousands of homes, according to an emergency services official, in a country beset by deadly storms every year. Head of the operations office in Minna, capital of Niger State, Husseini Isah, said on Friday that many people were still in peril as rescue efforts continue. '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. Downstream, bodies are still being recovered,' a Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) spokesman, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, told the AFP news agency. 'So, the toll keeps rising.' Torrential rains battered Mokwa late on Wednesday and lasted for several hours, washing away dozens of homes, with many residents still missing. A dam collapse in a nearby town caused the situation to rapidly deteriorate. It is difficult to say how well-placed rescue efforts are to salvage people 'because every rainy season we continue to see things like this,' said Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja. 'Warnings have been put out by authorities for people exposed or communities living along river banks to move to higher ground, especially when the rains start to peak, but every year we continue to see more and more lives and property damaged because of rainfall,' said Idris. 'In certain areas, proper drainage isn't there … and most of these disasters take officials of emergency management agencies in various states by surprise even though there has been consistent flooding over the past three years,' said Idris. As a result, 'a lot of people don't believe it will be any different' this time around. Mokwa is a key meeting and transit point for traders from the south and food growers in the north of the country. In the town, Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, told reporters that he lost at least 15 people from the house he grew up in. 'The property [is] gone. We lost everything,' Tanko said. For fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, the floods destroyed his house, forcing him to sleep in a car park. 'I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed,' Shaba told the AFP news agency. As Nigeria's rainy season begins, typically lasting for six months, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday. The most concerning thing about these floods is 'this isn't even the peak of the rainy season,' said Idris. 'In some states, the rains have only been there for a month and yet we're seeing this.' However, scientists have warned that the effects of climate change are already being felt, as extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent. The heavy rainfall causes problems for Nigeria every year as it destroys infrastructure and is further exacerbated by inadequate drainage. In September 2024, torrential rains and a dam collapse in the northeastern Maiduguri city caused severe flooding, killing at least 30 people and displacing millions. Last year, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of 36 states, in one of the country's worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
At least 88 killed in heavy Nigeria flooding, rescue efforts ongoing
At least 88 people have been killed after heavy flooding submerged the market town of Mokwa in Nigeria's north-central Niger State, in a country beset by deadly storms every year. Head of the operations office in Minna, capital of Niger State, Husseini Isah, said on Friday that many people were still in peril as rescue efforts continue. 'The number keeps rising,' Isah told The Associated Press news agency. 'But at the last count, 88 bodies have been recovered.' A Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) spokesman, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, told the AFP news agency earlier that he 'expected the toll to rise considerably because there are different rescuers at different locations'. Torrential rains battered Mokwa late on Wednesday and lasted for several hours, washing away dozens of homes, with many residents still missing. A dam collapse in a nearby town caused the situation to rapidly deteriorate. Mokwa is a key meeting and transit point for traders from the south and food growers in the north of the country. In the town, Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, told reporters that he lost at least 15 people from the house he grew up in. 'The property [is] gone. We lost everything,' Tanko said. For fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, the floods destroyed his house, forcing him to sleep in a car park. 'I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed,' Shaba told AFP. As Nigeria's rainy season begins, typically lasting for six months, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday. However, scientists have warned that the effects of climate change are already being felt, as extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent. The heavy rainfall causes problems for Nigeria every year as it destroys infrastructure and is further exacerbated by inadequate drainage. In September 2024, torrential rains and a dam collapse in the northeastern Maiduguri city caused severe flooding, killing at least 30 people and displacing millions. Last year, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of 36 states, in one of the country's worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
