3 days ago
Officials Call Off Rescue Efforts After Devastating Floods
Nigeria experienced its worst flood in 60 years last Thursday, which has left 200 people dead and a further 500 missing and presumed dead, the BBC reported.
The floods occurred in the districts of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa in Mokuwa after heavy rains pelted the region. Water swept in around 3 a.m. local time when most people were asleep, 'resulting in significant loss of life and widespread distress.' Local official Musa Kimboku explained that rescue efforts have since been called off because none of the missing are expected to be still alive. On Sunday, Mokwa district head Muhammadu Aliyu announced that workers would soon begin digging out buried bodies in an effort to prevent the spread of survivor, Adamu Yusuf, lost his wife and newborn child. "I watched helplessly as water washed away my family. I survived because I could swim," he said. Another local, Saliu Sulaiman, was left homeless and lost a good deal of money in the catastrophe. "I lost at least $1,500 to the floods. It was the proceeds from the sale of my farm produce the previous day,' he said. 'I contemplated going back into the room to get it, but the pressure of the water scared me." Several locals have claimed that the flooding was particularly intense because a nearby damn burst, but this hasn't been officially National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria said that, as of May 31, 3,018 residents had been displaced due to flooding. 'I extend my heartfelt condolences to the affected families and the good people of Niger State at this difficult time,' Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in a statement posted to X. 'Relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay. We will ensure that no Nigerian affected by this disaster is left behind or unheard of. I assure all those impacted that your government stands with you.'Officials Call Off Rescue Efforts After Devastating Floods first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2025