- ABUJA — With close to 200 confirmed fatalities, authorities in Nigeria's
north-central Niger State are still searching for more than 1,000 people
believed to have been swept away by devastating floods triggered by heavy rains
over the past week.
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- The torrential downpours on Wednesday night wreaked havoc
across Mokwa, a bustling market and farming town in Niger, submerging and
washing away dozens of residential homes, some with occupants still inside,
local officials said earlier.
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- Yakubu Garba, Deputy Governor of Niger, told reporters
late Monday that nearly a week after the disaster, hundreds remained
unaccounted for despite ongoing rescue efforts.
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- "For now, we do not know where they are. Those
people have been swept away by water. We have reviewed house-to-house and based
on that, the number of people yet to be seen is more than 1,000," Garba
said, adding that the flooding has displaced over 3,000 residents, affected at
least 2,000 properties, washed away roads, and caused the collapse of three
bridges.
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- One of the most urgent challenges, Garba noted, is the
uncertainty surrounding the fate of the missing, whose families are desperately
searching for them.
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- Ibrahim Hussaini, spokesperson for the Niger State
Emergency Management Agency, told Xinhua over the weekend that over 503
households were impacted. The search for more bodies is ongoing, with local
divers and volunteers assisting in the operation.
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- Some residents believe the flooding may have been
worsened by the release of water from a nearby dam, though officials have yet
to confirm this.
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- "The situation is very tragic, with many families
wiped out and survivors recounting harrowing losses," Amina Yahaya, a
resident from a neighbouring town, told Xinhua.
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