At least 151 people have died following devastating flash floods in central Nigeria, with rescue teams racing against time to locate the missing and deliver aid to over 3,000 displaced residents.
A sharp rise in fatalities was confirmed Saturday after flash floods swept through the town of Mokwa in Nigeria’s Niger State earlier this week. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) updated the death toll to 151, up from 115, with many bodies recovered nearly 10 kilometers from the town center.
The disaster, triggered by torrential rainfall from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, collapsed buildings, submerged roads, and swept away two bridges, severely crippling transportation and access to affected communities. More than 265 homes have been flattened, while over 3,000 people are now without shelter, according to NSEMA spokesperson Ibrahim Audu Husseini.
President Bola Tinubu confirmed on social media that search-and-rescue operations are underway, supported by military units, the police, and civilian volunteers. He assured citizens that relief materials and temporary shelter support are being deployed “without delay.”
Emergency crews and locals have been sifting through debris in Mokwa, over 350 kilometers from the capital Abuja, to recover bodies and search for survivors. Some victims were pulled from the rubble of collapsed homes, and Husseini noted that excavators would be needed to access deeper layers of destruction.
“Entire families have vanished,” said Husseini, referencing a family of 12 in which only four have been located so far.
Among the survivors, Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, stood near the ruins of his childhood home. “We lost at least 15 people from this house,” he told reporters. “The property is gone. We lost everything.”
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that the Nigerian Red Cross, local volunteers, and national security forces are fully engaged in the rescue and recovery operations.
Authorities warn the death toll could rise further, as bodies continue to be found downstream along the swollen Niger River.
LND/BG
–
English News : https://www.libertynewsbd.com
বাংলা সংবাদ : https://www.bangla.libertynewsbd.com
X : https://www.x.com/libertynewsbd
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/libertynewsbd/
