At least 151 killed after flash floods submerge Nigerian city | EUROtoday

At least 151 individuals have died after heavy rainfall sparked extreme flooding in Mokwa, a market city in north-central Nigeria.

Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesman for the Niger state emergency company, said that greater than 3,000 individuals have been displaced by the catastrophe within the city, located greater than 180 miles west of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

The flooding, triggered by heavy rainfall, affected at the least 500 households throughout three communities early Friday.

Husseini famous that the extreme flooding left many properties submerged, with solely roofs seen above the water, and residents wading by means of waist-deep water.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu stated he has directed the activation of the nationwide emergency response heart to rapidly help the state.

“Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing, and all relevant federal agencies have been mobilized to support the state government’s efforts,” Tinubu stated in a late evening message.

“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.”

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Residents had been mourning the lifeless on Saturday as some awaited information of their family members nonetheless unaccounted for. They additionally lamented the destruction precipitated within the city, a serious assembly level the place merchants from the south purchase beans, onions and different meals from farmers within the north.

“We lost many lives, and the properties, our farm produce. Those that have their storage have lost it,” stated resident Kazeem Muhammed.

Nigeria is susceptible to flooding through the wet season, which started in April.

In 2022, Nigeria skilled its worst wave of floods in additional than a decade which killed greater than 600 individuals, displaced round 1.4 million and destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland.

The flooding incident in Niger state occurred on Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday morning, Hussaini stated, with quite a lot of individuals nonetheless within the water.