Floods kill at least 110 people after heavy rain in Nigeria
At least 110 people have died in floods caused by torrential rain in central Nigeria, officials have told the BBC.
The rainfall lasted for several hours, said the head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema), Abullahi Baba-Arah.
He added that "surging flood water submerged and washed away over 50 residential houses with their occupants".
According to Nsema, the Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa districts of Mokwa town were worst affected.
Mokwa's District Head, Muhammad Shaba Aliyu, said it has been "60 years" since the community had suffered this kind of flooding.
"I beg the government to support us," Mr Aliyu said.
This is the start of the rainy season in Nigeria.
Many parts of northern Nigeria experienced heavy rainfall and flooding in 2024 which caused deaths, displacement of people and destruction of houses and infrastructure.
The country also suffered severe flooding in 2022, which forced around 1.3 million people out of the homes and caused more than 600 deaths.
Additional reporting from Cecilia Macaulay
Nigeria's floods and drought worsening food insecurity
Songs and testimonies from a drowning world
Nigeria floods: 'I have nowhere to go'
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Focus on Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Billie Piper is the new Doctor as Ncuti Gatwa regenerates in Doctor Who finale
Actress Billie Piper will portray the new Doctor as Ncuti Gatwa is seen regenerating in the season finale of Doctor Who. Piper, 42, starred as the companion to the ninth Doctor in 2005, playing Rose Tyler alongside Christopher Eccleston's Time Lord. She will now be the second woman to take on the role as the Time Lord after Jodie Whittaker portrayed the 13th doctor. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) Piper replaces Gatwa, who leaves Doctor Who after two seasons in the science-fiction series. Born in Rwanda before moving to Scotland, the actor's time on the long-running science fiction programme came to an end as The Reality War episode brought this season to a close on Saturday. The two-part season finale saw the Doctor face the Rani in a battle to save the world after making the decision to safe the life of one little girl. As he bid farewell to companion Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu, he said: 'I hope you'll see me again, but not like this.' The finale also saw Whittaker, the 13th doctor, make a guest appearance as Gatwa's Doctor appeared to be travelling through alternate universes.
The Hill
39 minutes ago
- The Hill
Ernst doubles down on Medicaid comment with sarcastic video ‘apology'
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) doubled down on a recent quip about Medicaid in a Saturday post on her Instagram story. 'Hello, everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall,' Ernst said in the clip, with a sarcastic tone. On Friday, the Iowa Republican was jeered after brushing aside life or death concerns about cuts to Medicaid, a public health insurance program for low income families and individuals with disabilities. 'See I was in the process of answering a question that had been asked by an audience member, when a woman who was extremely distraught, screamed out from the back corner of the auditorium, people are going to die,' Ernst said Saturday. 'And I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth. So I apologize, and I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well,' she continued. The Iowa lawmaker then encouraged viewers who want to see 'eternal and everlasting life' to 'embrace' Jesus Christ. During her Friday event in Butler, Iowa, Ernst promised that Republicans would 'protect' social services for the most vulnerable. She suggested that those who work and have opportunity for benefits elsewhere 'receive those benefits elsewhere' and leave taxpayer dollars for those eligible for Medicaid. Under the current GOP-House passed spending bill, millions would lose access to healthcare if passed by the Senate. 'Children will get hurt. Women will get hurt. Older Americans who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care and for home care will get hurt. People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to survive will get hurt,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during the debate on the bill, according to Politico. 'Hospitals in your districts will close. Nursing homes will shut down. And people will die. That's not hype. That's not hyperbole. That's not a hypothetical,' he added. Every Democrat who voted in the House, voted against the bill. Some Senate Republicans have pledged to make some edits to the legislation, objecting to changes to Medicaid, the proposed phaseout of clean energy incentives and an increase in the federal debt.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
At least 151 killed in Nigerian flash flooding
People search for victims after Friday's flash flooding killed at least 151 in Mokwa, Nigeria, following torrential rains on Wednesday and Thursday. Photo by Afolabi Sotunde/EPA-EFE May 31 (UPI) -- Torrential rains over two days caused flash flooding that killed at least 151 people in Mokwa, Nigeria. The death toll is expected to climb in the city that has a population of more than 416,000 and is located 235 miles west of the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the BBC reported Saturday. The flash flooding was Friday. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency initially reported 115 deaths but revised the number to 151 and expects to find more deceased victimsas the flood waters recede. Floodwaters swept the bodies of many victims into the Niger River that flows below the city on Thursday and Friday. More than 500 homes and 3,000 people were impacted by the flash flooding that caught local officials by surprise. Many families lost multiple members. A total of 11 people were reported as rescued and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Localized flooding was expected before the storm, but the severity overwhelmed the city. "We had to knock on some doors, but before people could escape, the flood had already caught up," shop owner Umar Jamil told The New York Times. "We have seen many bodies floating in the river, but we couldn't help," he said. It had been 60 years since a flood of such magnitude struck the city, Mokwa leader Muhammad Shaba Aliyu told the BBC. The city is located along the northern bank of the Niger River, and the floodwaters caused a local bridge to collapse into the river. The bridge's collapse left many motorists stranded as the flash flooding worsened. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered all available emergency and security personnel to "intensify ongoing search and rescue operations" in Mokwa, the BBC reported. Torrential rains began falling Wednesday and continued through Thursday, leading to Friday's deadly flash flooding. The flooding occurred near the start of Nigeria's rainy season, which lasts from April through October.
