Abuja: The death toll from the devastating floods that swept through central parts of the country has climbed to over 150 fatalities, Nigerian authorities said.
According to Qatar News Agency, a spokesperson for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ibrahim Audu Hussaini, confirmed that the floods, which ravaged the town of Mokwa, located more than 350 kilometers from Abuja, last week, resulted in the displacement of over 3,000 people, the complete destruction of 265 homes, and the collapse of two bridges.
The death toll is likely to rise, as the powerful current of the Niger River may have swept away the bodies of victims, with several corpses already recovered from beneath the rubble of collapsed homes, Hussaini highlighted.
He indicated that rescuers would require excavators to retrieve the remaining bodies, with a substantial number of individuals still unaccounted for.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu affirmed that search and rescue operations are ongoing, with security forces assisting in the emergency response to the disaster.
Writing on social media, President Tinubu stated that relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay in Mokwa, one of the hardest-hit districts, following the torrential downpours that swept through the area from late Wednesday into early Thursday morning.