ISLAMABAD: The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Nigeria’s Niger state has surged to 117, local emergency authorities confirmed on Friday.
The disaster, which struck late Wednesday night and persisted into Thursday morning, has left dozens missing and submerged more than 3,000 homes across two communities in the north-central region of the country.
Ibrahim Hussaini, the head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, reported the sharp increase in fatalities, up from 21 the previous day.
He warned that rescue operations remain underway and the number of dead could still rise, as several people are feared to be trapped or swept away by the floodwaters.
Homes Destroyed, Families Displaced
The torrential downpours have wreaked havoc on thousands of families, submerging entire neighborhoods and displacing scores of residents.
Emergency teams are working to locate missing persons and provide immediate relief to the affected areas.
The incident is a grim reminder of Nigeria’s vulnerability to seasonal floods, which tend to intensify during the rainy season that began in April.
Hussaini noted that many of the affected homes were constructed in flood-prone areas without adequate infrastructure or drainage, exacerbating the damage. Relief shelters have been set up, but access remains a challenge due to damaged roads and ongoing rainfall.
A History of Deadly Floods
Nigeria is no stranger to devastating floods. In 2022, the country experienced its deadliest flooding in over a decade, which killed more than 600 people, displaced 1.4 million, and destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland. Climate experts have pointed to a combination of poor urban planning, deforestation, and worsening climate change as the primary contributors to the country’s flood crises.
With more rain forecasted in the coming weeks, authorities have urged residents in high-risk zones to relocate and are calling for urgent international support to manage the humanitarian fallout.
